4.20 OPERATION DOMINIC II.
Also known by the DOD code name of Operation SUNBEAM, DOMINIC II was the
continental phase of the DOMINIC nuclear tests.
The four shots of this series
were conducted at the NTS from 7 July through 17 July 1962, during the period
of DOMINIC I, the nuclear test series conducted at the Pacific Proving Ground
from 25 April through 3 November 1962 (24: 1).
DOMINIC II consisted of the four low-yield shots identified below.
LITTLE FELLER I, one of the surface shots, was part of Exercise IVY FLATS, the
only military training exercise conducted at DOMINIC II (24: 1,5).
Event
LITTLE FELLER II
4.20.1
Date
7 July
Type
Yield
(kilotons)
Surface
Low
JOHNIE BOY
11 July
Crater
0.5
SMALL BOY
14 July
Tower
Low
LITTLE FELLER I
17 July
Surface
Low
‘
Background and Objectives of Operation DOMINIC II.
The United States resumed nuclear weapons testing on 15 September 1961
with a series of underground tests conducted at the NTS:
September 1961 to 30 June 1962.
series:
Operation NOUGAT, 15
This was followed by another underground
Operation STORAX, 6 July 1962 to 25 June 1963.
Operation DOMINIC II
was conducted during the period of Operation STORAX but was not a part of
STORAX (24: 19,20).
Operation DOMINIC II, designed to provide information on weapons effects,
originally comprised only Shot SMALL BOY.
Subsequent plans were to include
three Little Feller shots, one 3 feet above ground, another 40 feet above
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