CStatersak of
ne eee
Bikin£ Ato.
concecafuy cx>-ehercres on "OneratLoa Castle"
54)
(
PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED
Tnermo-n uclear shot, abouc the third or fourth detonation
in the serfes.
I was convinced to go on the prenise that I would set up
my radfo, check it for operation and evacuate aboard ship at sea.
How-
wd
we
“Exposure @1:
“ever, when the tine came the selentists did not think {ft a good ices
to
run the shot without a radio technictan because of so many delays already
due to other failures.
I refused to stay on shore. I was promised evace
uation if the radios would work over the remaining time left before 6:00 p.c.
. departure of all personnel and ships.
The ships departed about 3:00 p.m.
“without me and I was then told I could leave with the copters chat were
flying the scientists when they left after arming the bomb.
Sometime around
uidnieght the scientists returned to the bunker after releasing the copters
and said they did not know I was supposed to go back with the copters etc.,
ete. and so I was "volunteered'’ to stay 20 miles from ground "O" wich a
“15 mesaton thermonuclear device that was experimentally "souped up" to
produce twice that, however later results showed three times or almost 50
Megatons.
At briefing time before shot hour we were all told whasr to
expect and what to do and not to panic because the ships were close by and
*we would be evacuated if need be!
Shot. goes off about 6:00 a.is. so good pictures can be taken.
shook up considerably
end scarec stiff!
we aréall
At 6:16 a.m. the door is opened
and we go out to seo results.
We have no protective clothing and I have
on "T" shire, shorts, shore sle-ve khaki shirt and khaki bermudes and GI
shoes.
For deteztion I have calty 2a film dbadee and a pocket dosciziter because Iwas noc supposed to stay.
Several minutes efter leaving bunker
someone yells "everybody back in, Hurry.’
A fine misc is falling end highly
radicactive Soszause Che geiger counters 2re climbing rapidly.
3efore we can
vec to the cunker sand and dcbris are pelting us lightly.
We go bach in the
a
bunker and report fallouc ro ships.
While contemplating a decision
for
evacuation, the ships scars getcing fallout end they decides . zs zo to sez 60
as not to endanger the ships and vesple on them. About G:00 a.m. no more
ship radio contact. <Abouc 9:30 a.m, we heave power f2ilure and chus radio
~~
fatlure.
.
,
~
AC this tine the gefger countar at the inside of the door was peezed at
$90 Rt, the room we were in was reading over 10R so ve secughs 2 "“sooler"
azvea. whe found the only rocz left to us was reading adovr SC im,
:
No ifghts
~
somnunication witr
shins, no afr and the radiaciocr level enxnowna
Secause 3.1 the meters want tc :reg on hi. scale except
one.
We ware Jesperate:
5
:
Esctimscic> of ships return with loss of communfections was three co feur hours
wet
estimation
of anyone surviving outside exposure was 18 minutes and cuz co
* 22
ee mknctes
for safety factor.
We all drew straws (9 of us) to see in what
order we would go out, one every hour with a walky-talky co call the shins
i
swe
_* £or 12 minutes maximum wrapped up in a bed sheet and was #5, we started at
12:00 p.m. at 3:00 o.m. we used 24 and he contacted the shins finally.
-”
They sent us two copters for men and classified junk.
We wrapped ourselves
+
with the only protection We had.
Bedsheets:
We cunmy wrapped each other
and fastened it cown with masking tape.
We used our two sheets each and left
only eye holes to see and small ones at that. The copters buzzed the bunker
"on the way to the landing pad.
We all got in abandoned two vehicles and
.
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