CASTLE SERIES FACT SHEET ORAFT

CASTLE was a nuclear weapons test series held at the Atomic Energy
Commission's (AEC) Pacific Proving Ground (PPG) in Spring 1954.

The PPG

consisted of Enewetak and Bikini atolls in the northwestern Marshal]
Islands in the Central Pacific Ocean.

There were six detonations

in the

series and they are listed in the following table:

Date

Magnitude

Assigned
Name

(equivatent

Location

tons TNT)

1 March

BRAVO

Bikini; sandspit off Nam Island

15

(MT)

27 March

ROMEO

Bikini; barge in BRAVO crater

11

(MT)

-7 April

KOON

Bikini; surface of Eneman Island

110

(KT)

26 April

UNION

Bikini; barge in lagoon off I[roij

5 May

YANKEE

Bikini; barge in UNION crater

14 May

NECTAR

Enewetak; barge in MIKE? crater

6.9

(MT)

13.5

(MT)

1.69 (MT)

410.4 MT detonation in 1952.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The CASTLE series was held for the purpose of testing Jarge-yield
thermonuclear weapons.

President Truman ordered this development in 1950
r

and the work had progressed through the GEORGE experimental shot on

GREENHOUSE (1951) and the MIKE shot of IVY (1952).

MIKE was the first

Select target paragraph3