test.
The Mike
blast Vaporizes
luge iab isiand leaving a crater one
stile in diameter and 175 feer ceep in
<8
mm
COVral
-_
-
7
reer.
-
NOVEMBER 16 Enewetak:
Ujelang Atoll,
~20 miles southwest of "ground zero”
contaminated with radioactive fallout
is
zram the 500 kiloton King test.
“Prior to...and for weeks leading up to the blast the prevailing
upper level troughs indicated that
wind was blowing to the vicinity
of our island."
sene Curbow, HO Weather Reporting Element, (U.S.Air Force) on
Rongerik Atoll, 2954,
1954 JANUARY Rongerik:
7£ Air = ore
and 3 Army men arrive on Rongerix Atoli
125 miles east of Bikini, to set uo a4
weather monitoring station in preparation
for Cperation CASTLE.
This au-
clear test series is to include the
-arczest announced hydrogen bomb exploded a the 2.S.
The Rongerix weather
Station besins regular observations zo
cetermine temperature, barometric consitions anc wind velocity up to and inclucing
100,900
feet
alove
sea
levei.
ro"pes.aD: ~3hn Anjain, the “aZgistrate oc: Rongelap Atoll,
is warned
Sv an American Navy friend that the
Roneelap people may be in danger from
the upcoming Bravo hydrogen bomb test.
Buc he doesn't know the date of the
test. and says there are no orders from
Washington to evacuate the people.
Lbi loos
Rongerik: The weather station men intensify their observations,
as the test
date draws near, checking surface wind
direccions and barometric conditions
nouriy and upper level weacher conditions everv two hours.
They report to
-oins Task Force-7 (JTF-?) Headquarcers that winds are blowing east
from Bikini towards Rongerik and
other inhabited atolls.
MARCH Bikiri: Operation CASTLE beains
U.S. MILITARY COMMANDERS ARRIVE IN
FEBRUARY 1946 TO TELL THE BIKINIANS
THEY MUST LEAVE THEIR ATOLL TO MAKE
WAY FOR THE NUCLEAR TESTS.
<——
at Bikini and Enewetak lasting through
May.
The series includes Bravo, a*I§megacon hydrogen bomb blast, and five
other tests.
Koon test (April 7) is
listed at 110 kilotons; information on
the others remains classified.
Approximately 7, 200 military men participate
in this
test series.
;
MARCH 1 Bikini: At 6:45 a.m., the Bravo
Surrace detonation creates a blinding
‘lash of light followed by a fireball
of intense heat, tens of millions of
degrees, shooting upward at a rate of
300 tiles an hour.
Within 10 minutes
the giant nuclear cloud reaches more
than 100,000 feet.
Winds several hundred miles per hour at the center and
70 to 100 miles an hour at the blast's
edge rock the placid lagoon like a full
scale typhoon.
"The sky was suddenly completely
lit up, brighter, if possible than
daylight itself...The shock wave
that came after the initial blast
Was so tremendous that all the
pre-fabricated buildings were
damaged in one way or another.
Almost all of the windows just
blew out.”
Donald Laker, Air Force radio
operator,
Rongerik Atoll, 1954.
(continued on page 8)