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)