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