Operation Crossroads - Able And Baker Day Tests (1946) 

@5inthehole : Don't forget that Bikini Atoll was used for multiple atomic test, which was meant to help us "further understand such weapons" (meaning we didn't know what could happen in worse case); including the ill-fated Castle Bravo Test that was the worst accidental contamination the US did, because of it's unprecedented yield.

My father was a United States Marine serving aboard the USS Fall River for Operation Crossroads. The Greatest Generation. He was 19 years old at the time. I love and miss my Father greatly .

My father, age 19, was stationed (US Navy) on Kwajalein during the Able/Baker tests. He described seeing a "second sunrise" and the next day, he and others, had the worst sore throats of their lives. He lived to be 81, but passed from bladder CA in 2009.

The men of Joint Task Force One were pretty good guys who all co-operated with each other to ensure the success of the atomic bomb tests of Operation Crossroads. After a long day on the atoll the guys would relax on the deck of the ships drinking rum shooters and smoking cigarettes.

Yes, wash the radiation off those ships with the radioactive water from the lagoon.

Thank you @nuclearvault for posting this video. My grandpa was a radio operator for the Navy during Operation Crossroads. I've heard stories about Crossroads for years, and I only ever saw pictures from the official Navy scrap book of the event. Now I got to actually see this video. It has made me have even greater respect for him. I recently got to interview him for a college history project, and this video helped me understand what he saw as I talked with him. thanks, ~flyingguitarman

My Great Uncle served on USS Avery Island AG-76 during Operation Crossroads. He was a EM1 Petty Officer, and was assigned to Task Group 1.1 Technical Group. TU 1.1.2 (Instrumentation Unit) USS Avery Island AG-76 USS Burleson APA-67 USS Cumberland Sound AV-17 USS Haven AH-12 USS Kenneth Whiting AV-14 USS Wharton AP-7 This Task Group was responsible for instrumenting all target ships, target areas with various data recording equipment. I wanted to be just like him, and join the Navy as a child. I was sooooo confused, hurt when he raised his voice at me and said THE NAVY IS NOT FOR YOU!!!! In that moment again he raised his voice at me and made me make a promise to absolutely never join the Navy ever. Crying I made him that promise, and finally after all these years after researching his career I understand!!!! 😥 He passed away from Cancer which I believe was exposure to these Beta, Gamma rays. ☢️☣️☠️

My dad was part of this operation. I even have his original orders. He has a picture of his flight crew, titled "Radiological Reconnaissance Flight Crew of Aircraft 6584 Leader of "King Flight, " Able Day July 1, 1946, at Bikini Atoll." Then the list of names of the crew. It ends with "Total flying time on mission, 8 hours 40 minutes. Photo was made appx 20 minutes before takeoff on 'A' Day"

Admiral Blandy was not an atomic playboy as some of his detractors had labelled him. He was a good guy who was just doing his job to ensure the military industrial complex could continue its purpose and mission in the heady days of post war America.

my dad was on a ship that sailed in up close to survey the radiated damage...he died from cancer 50 years later...i have his commermorative belt buckle with a mushroom cloud engraved on it

only one small mention of Deke Parsons!! he was the guy running the whole thing. Blandy spent most of the time fishing.

To witness this event it would have been breathtaking. The whole "nuclear bombs" always interest me. Not for the destruction, but for the science that goes into it. How humans have figured out a way to take nuclear material and shift it into a "bomb" is just amazing.

This what we do to our earth for nothing.

You want something interesting, look up the name of Alexandre Feklisov. Read about his role in the espionage, and later in the Cuban missile crisis.

My father was there at Able and Baker.

My great uncle with the microphone at 19:45. He had Oppenheimer over his shoulder when he triggered Trinity at South 10,000 control point July 16 1945. He designed the firing electronics and was first of the British Mission to Los Alamos following merger of British bomb project (Tube Alloy) and US Manhattan Project. Lived on Bathtub Row in Los Alamos. The house where he and wife Peggy lived is now the Los Alamos museum. They had Han Bethe, Neils Bohr and Oppy for neighbors.

5inthehole your knowledge of history is adequate but how you are using it is not. Its very easy to look back at these experiments from the standpoint of today's knowledge and see the glaring mistakes that were made. In 1946 much less was known about radiation and half life of the radioactive isotopes unleashed in nuclear blasts. So while rinsing the ships with sea water is ridiculous to us at the time the navy didn't know any better. you might want to keep that in mind when posting comments.

@CrabSpirits Believe it or not, that works out better than you might think. The goal is to not let the water, whether contaminated or not, stagnate. Seawater corrodes metal; radioactive seawater gives radioactive corrosion which is nearly impossible to erradicate. That is the main problem.

The worst invention in human history. But of course the scientist thought it was fascinating. The human capacity for destruction is mind boggling.

Are any of the servicemen involved with Operation Crossroad alive today?

The Able test was reduced in value because the bomb detonated 649 meters (710 yards) off target, away from most of the ships.

@Springbok295 Hey, that's really interesting. If you don't mind me asking, what did your Father actually say the nuclear bursts were like when witnessed in person?

Society today, especially in first world countries has a lot more access to information than previous generations, though... Government transparency is at an all time high.

My father, John Osborn Baker L. gave me a (aprox 8.5x11, Light/Bluejean texture cover) copy, of "Operation Crossroads" on my toy shelf, and told me "This is the most important book to read" cause I hated reading and only watched T.V., BUT. I was fascinated and actually read it multiple times, by the time I was 5. Have anyone of you folk ever seen one? Just a picture would be wonderful. Thank you

Oh, I know well the story. The Soviet scientists under the direction Igor Kurchatov received the stolen documents, and in their own words used them to validate their own designs. They could be lying; as I said Beria had them create the first bomb to the American plans (which were admittedly not very sophisticated at that point). They had no "hints" about the H-bomb; they did that on their own. No doubt getting the US documents made them available faster.

You should actually read the entire conversation.

Interesting info.

@5inthehole what are taking about if a drone did not make it was not a big deal because it was a drone and i am sure that they made it because if you know anything about nuclear blast radius bombs in the kiloton range would not destroy all a city like Los Angeles with one blast. the blast radius is maybe a kilometer to 5 or 6 at most.

@wardenphil my grandpa's health is in very good shape, his only issue is diabetes from his love of pie.

So close to the blast whoa

The explosive power of these bombs was 23 kilotons TNT, about the same as the "Fat Man" plutonium bomb exploded over Nagasaki.

Where can I get a full list of the ships?

@flyingguitarman2727 How is your grandfather's health?

@5inthehole : Not as much as you make it sound. Reason they hold back things it because even "one" act will set people off and make them sound so horrible. Then some of us have to try to explain that there are others int he world who it far more often and to far worse degrees.

Start at 20:09

I think they are always very beautiful... very impressing

3:26 Someone should show that ignoramus on the Joe Rogan Experience this footage... he was basically saying that it the atomic bomb tests were staged because "how could the camera survive?"

Alpha radiation is also invisible

God damn music.

9:55 for the bomb

proceeds TO the BIKINI target ... SOUNDS familiar

20:01 to 20:09

The US created the atom? Gee, I didn't know ... learn something new every day. In actuality, the USSR (not Russia) created their own nuclear weapons from their own designs. Their first nuke was designed using blueprints of Fat Man from Los Alamos, not because the could do otherwise, but because Lavarentii Baria ordered them to.