OPERATION WIGWAM
DATS:
TIME:
POI
14 May 1955
L300
GMT
1h May (L955
2000
Sponsor:
SITE:
Pacific Ocean 00 miles
Southwest of San Diego
28° hh'
126° 16'
TOTALYIELD: 30 kt
FLREBALL DATA:
DoD
oN
WwW
Site elevation:
HBIGHPEOF BURSP:
Time to lst minimum: NM
Time to 2nd maximum: NM
Radius at 2nd maximum:
NM
Sea level
e000 ft under-
water depth 16,000 ft
TYPE OF BURST AND PLACKMENT:
Subsurface burst ~ Device
suspended by cable from barge
SPRAY DOME H&IGHT: 880 ft MSL
FIRST PLUME HETGHT: 1,450 ft MSL
REMARKS:
"The contours given (for H+1.4 hour) were computed on the basis of
surface and subsurface water samples and are roproduced here uncorrected.
They do not represent fallout activity deposited on the surface.
The
activity was mixed throughout a surface zone whose depth remained roughly
constant for the first two days.
This contaminated zcne resulted from
debris thrown out locally during the surface events or from upwelling
of contaminated water from below.
The downwind airborne radivcactivity
varied with the base surge and yielded very little if any residual
fallout."
At H+l19 minutes the contaminated water area
was about 5.3 mi®.
The area was contaminated in an irregular manner,
the peak intensities being approximately three times the average intensity
of 25 to 30 v/hy, 3 ft above the surface.
The area circumscribed by a
50 mr/hr isointensity contour increased to 7.5 mi® at Hil. hr.
At H+h.2
hr it had decreased to 3.5 mi®.
Measurements of water samples indicated
a radioactive decay exponent
97