APPENDIX C
SUNKEN SHIPS AND OBSTACLES IN THE LAGOON
Le

INTRODUCTION
There were 23 announced

nuclear tests at the Bikini

Atoll.

Operation and Event Names and date of test, see Table C-1.

locations

for

these

tests

are shown on

Figure

C-l.

For the

The approximate

During Operations

Crossroads and Castle a series of tests particularly affected the floor of
the Lagoon.
1.1

Operation

nuclear weapons

Crossroads

tests,

(see

ABLE and

weapons against naval warships.
summer

of

1946

at

a

site

Figure

BAKER,

C-1,

to

assess

approximately

5000

ABLE was an above-water detonation.

was

reported.

disturbance

of

Approximate

GZ

It

the
of

was

an. air

lagoon

bottom.

the

BAKER

shot

latitude 119 35' 5" North.
Eleven
Operation

ships

were

Crossroads.

The

the

consisted of two

effects

of nuclear

The tests were conducted in the spring and

Island.
not

Site A)

sunk
ships

burst

yards

in

and

did
was

longitude

were

not
an

cause

Bikini

permanent

underwater

1659

30'

lagoon

(See

Table

reported

to

the

of

The ground zero (GZ) of ABLE

BAKER
is

southwest

be

40"

in

burst.

East

and

|

C-1)

during

battle-ready

condition at the time of the tests, i.e., loaded with fuel and ammunition.
At

present,

surrounding

material

the

sunken

BAKER's

(see

Figure

warships, and it has

GZ

ships
was

remain

on

disturbed

C-1).

The

fuel

the
and

of]

lagoon

bottom.

contaminated

and

by

ammunition

been reported that the “Saratoga”

The

area

radioactive

remain on

the

(one of the sunken

ships) can be located by sighting a small surface oil slick above her.
1.2

Operation Castle consisted of 5 nuclear weapons

significant

5000082

of

these

tests

is

the

BRAVO

c-1

shot

(Figure

tests.

C-1,

Site

The most
B)

which

Select target paragraph3