US Archive Page - 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Program History | Operation History | Testing Database | Image Gallery | Yucca - |Hardtack I| Date: 02:40 UTC 28/04/1958 | Type: Balloon @26210m | Yield: 1.7 Kt Yucca was a joint DOD/LASL test of the W-25 air defense warhead in a high altitude balloon-lofted shot for ABM development work. The device including the baloon and payload weighed 345kg. Cactus - |Hardtack I| Date: 18:15 UTC 05/05/1958 | Type: Surface | Yield: 18 Kt Test of a MK-43 primary in a thermonuclear system mockup. Similar to to the Elder device. The primary weighed 50kg. The over all device weighed 650kg. and had a width of 45cm and a length of 175cm. The device was detonated 180m southwest of the Redwing Lacrosse crater. The crater had a diameter of 105m, and a depth of 11m. The crater was used in 1979 as a burial pit to intern 85,000 cubic meters of radioactive soil and debris scraped from the various contaminated Enewetak Atoll islands. The 105 meter wide pit was capped with thick concrete forming a structure known as the Runit Dome. More information on the Runit Dome. Koa - |Hardtack I| Date: 18:30 UTC 12/05/1958 | Type: Surface | Yield: 1.37 Mt A test of the XW-35 which was designed from the outset as a thermonuclear warhead for the first generation of ICBMs. When accuracy of the Atlas ICBM was shown to be inferior to predictions, the XW-35 design was altered to give a higher yield. The predicted yield was 1.75 megatons; the actual yield was 1.37 megatons with the shortfall due to poor burning of the secondary. The fission yield was 750 kt. The W-35 was later dropped in favor of the W-49, a modification of the tried and trusted TX-28 from Operation Redwing. The cloud reached approximately 18km. It completely obliterated the Island Dridrilbwij aka Teiter. Clip used by kind permission of Atomcentral.com. Wahoo - |Hardtack I| Date: 01:30 UTC 16/05/1958 | Type: Underwater @-152m | Yield: 9 Kt Wahoo was a deep water effects test using the Mk-7 bomb in 975m of seawater. The purpose of this test (and Umbrella) was to improve the understanding of the effects of underwater explosions on Navy ships and material. These were continuations of earlier underwater tests that included Baker during operation Crossroads at Bikini in 1946, and Wigwam off the U.S. West Coast in 1955. View 2 Nutmeg - |Hardtack I| Date: 21:20 UTC 21/05/1958 | Type: Barge | Yield: 25 Kt The second Bikini shot of Hardtack I, Nutmeg was detonated on a barge in the Zuni crater. It was a 2 stage thermonuclear device, possibly an XW-47 prototype. The predicted yield was 8-25 kilotons. Within 6 minutes the cloud had stabilized at 6,100 meters. Clip used by kind permission of Atomcentral.com. View 2 | View 3 Sycamore - |Hardtack I| Date: 03:00 UTC 31/05/1958 | Type: Barge @3m | Yield: 92 Kt Test of the 'Clean' TX-41 warhead similar to Poplar and Pine. The predicted yield was 5 Mt, but the fusion secondary failed to correctly ignite. The 92 kt yield was almost entirely from the fission primary. Umbrella - |Hardtack I| Date: 18:15 UTC 08/06/1958 | Type: Underwater @-30m | Yield: 8 Kt A weapons effects test for a medium depth underwater explosion. A Mk-7 bomb was used for the test (76cm diameter, 137cm long, device weight 374kg) in a heavy pressure vessel (total weight 3175kg). Very similar to the Wahoo device. The device was detonated on the lagoon bottom of Mut (Henry) Island. An underwater crater 914m across and 7m deep was produced. Redwood - |Hardtack I| Date: 17:30 UTC 27/06/1958 | Type: Barge @3m | Yield: 412 Kt Sponsered by University of California Radiation Laboratory. a Possible 2-stage XW-47 prototype, a 250 kt fission yield was expected similar to Aspen, Nutmeg and the Dogwood devices. Redwood was detonated on a barge south of Lomilik in Bikini. It was followed by shot Elder at Enewetak Atoll one hour later. The detonation cloud base was at 8.5km and the top stabilized at 16.8km. Oak - |Hardtack I| Date: 19:30 UTC 28/06/1958 | Type: Barge @1.8m | Yield: 8.9 Mt A test of the LANL TX-46/53 device, Oak was one of the largest detonations at Enewetak Atoll. It was detonated on a 223 ton barge moored on the reef 6.4km southwest of Bokoluo Island. It was followed at noon by the Hickory shot at Bikini. The cloud wasreached an estimated 23.8km. This test exceeded it's predicted yield of 7.5 Mt, with the fission yield accounting for 5 Mt. Oak was one of the largest U.S. tests. The subsurface crater produced was 1.7km in diameter and 62m deep. The device was 94cm in diameter and 254cm long, and weighed 2.7 metric tons. This design was later developed into the 9 Mt W/Mk-53 warhead deployed on the Titan II missile and the Mk-53 strategic bomb. Hickory - |Hardtack I| Date: 00:00 30/06/1958 | Type: Barge @3m | Yield: 14 Kt Possible XW-47 primary test, similar to Hardtack II Neptune and Titania. The cloud rose to 7.4km with an estimated 3.7km base. Cedar - |Hardtack I| Date: 17:30 UTC 02/07/1958 | Type: Barge @3.4m | Yield: 220 Kt Detonated on a barge in the Castle Bravo crater southwest of Nam, 1.2km from the edge of Bikini island. A 2-stage 'clean' thermonuclear device, the predicted fission yield was 30kt. The detonation produced a 15.2km cloud. Poplar - |Hardtack I| Date: 03:30 UTC 07/07/1958 | Type: Barge | Yield: 9.3 Mt Poplar was at least in part prompted by Hans Bethe's recommendations to President Eisenhower for a "clean" fusion weapon. Previous 'dirty' weapons had fission proportions of 50-77%, due to the use of U-238 as a 'pusher' around the lithium deuteride secondary stage. The 1956 'clean' tests used a lead or tungsten carbide pusher. A test variant of the Mk-41C warhead, similar to Pine and Sycamore, it was the largest test of Hardtack I, and 5th largest U.S. test ever. Of it's 9.3 megatons yield, only 4.8% was fission, and thus was 95.2% "clean". The concept of a clean nuclear weapon is obviously largely political as this still equates to 450 kt of pure fission. A smaller fireball can be seen being ejected from the top of the main fireball, seen also during Castle Romeo and Nectar. There is no known explanation for this phenomena. Clip used by kind permission of Atomcentral.com. View 2 | View 3 | High-speed | Aerial late cloud Juniper - |Hardtack I| Date:04:20 UTC 22/07/1958 | Type: Barge @3m | Yield: 65 Kt An exploratory shot by UCRL attempting to dramatically reduce the size and weight of a nominally 1 megaton warhead. UCRL weapons programmers from this period have described this test as the "most radical UCRL shot" and an "entirely new concept". This led eventually to the development of the W-47 Polaris missile warhead which considerably reduced the size of megaton class warheads. The degree of novelty can be judged by the range of predicted yields 0.2 kt to 60 kt. The device had a diameter of 36.5cm, and a length of 39cm. It weighed 67kg. Olive - |Hardtack I| Date: 20:30 UTC 22/07/1958 | Type: Barge @2.4m | Yield: 202 Kt Concept feasibility test, a 2-stage thermonuclear device which established a high yield and light weight. Device weight was 100kg producing a yield/weight ratio of 2 kilotons per kilo. The cloud rose to 15.2km with an estimated 4.5km base. Teak - |Hardtack I| Date: 10:50 UTC 01/08/1958 | Type: Airburst @76800m | Yield: 3.8 Mt A high yield, high altitude test of the W-39 over Johnston Island during Operation Hardtack I and part of the anti-satellite 'Program 437'. The warhead was delivered to an altitude 77km by the US Army Redstone Rocket. Later tests during Operation Dominic used Thor missiles or modified Lockheed X-17 missiles. The purpose of the shot was to determine both feasibility of nuclear weapons as an anti-ballistic missile defense, as well as a means to defeat satellites and manned orbiting vehicles in space. Powerful EMP effects were experienced at Apia Observatory in Samoa and damaged land based electronics as far as 1500km away. Radiation became trapped by the Earth's magnetic field, creating artificial belts of radiation 100 to 1,000 times stronger than background levels. Orange - |Hardtack I| Date: 10:30 UTC 12/08/1958 | Type: Missile @43000m | Yield: 3.8 Mt Orange was an anti-ballistic missile system (ABM) effects test using a W-39 warhead launched on a Redstone ballistic missile. Of it's 3.8 Mt yield, 1.9 Mt was due to fission. Fig - |Hardtack I| Date: 04:00 UTC 18/08/1958 | Type: Surface | Yield: 0.02 Kt Probable XW-51 test. The shot was successful unlike the similar Quince shot that preceded it. It was the last atmospheric shot at Enewetak. Hamilton - |Hardtack II| Date: 16:00 UTC 15/10/1958 | Type: Tower @5m | Yield: 0.0012 Kt LLNL weapons develpment shot at NTS Area 5 of the XW-51 Davy Crockett (Quail device) prototype. The test was a fizzle only producing 1.2 tons of yield, barely enough to destroy the tower. The pyhsics package extremely small device, only weighing 16kg. Dona Ana - |Hardtack II| Date: 14:20 UTC 16/10/1958 | Type: Balloon @150m | Yield: 0.037 Kt Low yield Gnat device test, similar to shot Otero. Wrangle - |Hardtack II| Date: 16:50 UTC 22/10/1958 | Type: Balloon @460m | Yield: 0.115 Kt Full yield test fizzle using an XW-47 primary, similar to Vesta, Oberon and Sanford Rushmore - |Hardtack II| Date: 23:40 UTC 22/10/1958 | Type: Balloon @150m | Yield: 0.188 Kt Low yield test of XW-47 primary (Canary device), it fizzled, similar to Mercury, Neptune and Titania. Sanford - |Hardtack II| Date: 10:20 UTC 26/10/1958 | Type: Balloon @460m | Yield: 4.9kt Full yield test of XW-47 primary, similar to tests Vesta, Oberon and Wrangell. Developed by UCRL, the device was suspended from a balloon 460m above the Frenchman Flat NTS. At shot-time the winds were light and variable up to 1500m. The cloud reached a height of 8000m and moved to the northeast. DOD personnel took part in two scientificand diagnostic experiments, one conducted by the DOD Effects Test Group and the other by the UCRL. High speed Humboldt - |Hardtack II| Date: 14:45 UTC 29/10/1958 | Type: Tower @10m | Yield: 0.0078 Kt Repeat of the earlier Hamilton device which fizzled, but with higher yield. An XW-51 Davy Crockett (Quail device) prototype, it was an extremely small device at only 16 kg. View 2 Project Plowshare Date: 1961-73 | Type: Subsurfce | Total Yield: 717 Kt Project Plowshare was the overall term for the development of techniques to use nuclear explosives for peaceful construction purposes, A.K.A. Peaceful Nuclear Explosions (PNE). The phrase was coined in 1961, taken from Micah 4:3 ("And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares"). The Soviet Union had a similar program titled Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy. Serious consideration was also given to using these explosives for mining operations. In the end, Nuclear explosives have never been used for commercial engineering purposes in the United States, but the concept has been tested. Gnome - |Nougat| Date: 12:10 UTC 10/12/1961 | Type: Subsurface @-360m | Total Yield: 3.1 Kt Shot Gnome was fired in an underground salt dome formation. A permanent stable cavity 52m in diameter, and 24m high, was formed. This one of the very few nuclear test cavities (perhaps the only one) to avoid collapse. Some radiation accidentally released as a result of subsequent drilling. Although Gnome was part of Operation Nought, it was also included in Project Plowshare. Aztec - |Dominic I| Date: 16:01 UTC 27/04/1962 | Type: Airdrop @796m | Yield: 410 Kt A successful test of the the XW-50X1-Y3 in a Mk-39 Mod-1 Type 3 drop case. It was the highest yield variant of the W-50 warhead (used on the Nike Zeus and Pershing missiles), giving a yield-to-weight ratio of 2.21 kt/kg. This device used a spherical secondary stage. The device was similar to those tested in Adobe, Kingfish, and Bluegill Triple Prime. The yield was slightly lower than expected. The mushroom cloud rose to about 18,300 meters. Arkansas - |Dominic I| Date: 18:02 UTC 02/05/1962 | Type: Airburst @1533m | Yield: 1090 Kt The U.S.S.R had broken the 34 month testing ban on 01/091961 by undertaking a large series of atmospheric nuclear tests, the U.S. responded with its own series of tests. Arkansas was the first parachute-retarded device to be dropped at Christmas Island, it missed its intended air zero point by 183m, the cloud reached 18.2km. Proof-test of the LRL X-56 warhead, later deployed on the Minuteman missile. This warhead was similar to the W-47 deployed on the Polaris missile. The W-56 had the same yield as the high-yield variant of the W-47 (1.2 Mt), but weighed 60kg less. clip used by kind permission of Atomcentral.com. View 2 | Highspeed 1 | Highspeed 2 Questa - |Dominic I| Date: 19:05 UTC 04/05/1962 | Type: Airburst @1594m | Yield: 670 Kt A test of the XW-59 warhead in a Mk-39 Mod-1 Type 3 drop case. The W-59 was a development of the J-21 warhead design and was a competitor with the LRL W-56 to arm the Minuteman I missile. It was also intended for the Skybolt air-launched ballistic missile. Similar to those tested in Alma, Rinconada, and Sunset. The yield lower than expected (the full yield was later achieved in Sunset). The yield-to-weight ratio of 2.68 kt/kg was still quite respectable. The cloud reached 18.9km. In the end both the W-56 and W-59 were produced for the Minuteman I. Frigate Bird - |Dominic I| Date: 23:30 06/05/1962 | Type: High Altitude @3352m | Yield: 600 Kt The only US test of an operational ballistic missile with a live warhead. This test involved firing a Polaris A1 missile from a ballistic missile submarine. Launched by the USS Ethan Allen (SSBN-608) from a position 1500 nm east-northeast of Christmas Island. The re-entry vehicle (RV) and warhead flew 1020 nm downrange toward Christmas Island before re-entering the atmosphere 12.5 minutes later, at 3352m. The system tested was a combination of a Polaris A1 SLBM, and a W-47Y1 warhead in a Mk-1 RV. The Mk-1 RV had a beryllium heat-sink heat shield, the 325kg warhead weighed 408kg. Yukon - |Dominic I| Date: 18:01 UTC 08/05/1962 | Type: Airbust @878m | Yield: 100 Kt A parachute retarded test of the Calliope II device. An experimental shot, the first of a planned family of light weight, high-fusion/low-fission devices intended to increase the yield-to-weight ratio of ICBM warheads. Similar to Muskegon, Chetco, Nougat Arikaree, Hudson, Codsaw, and Hoosic. The yield was slightly higher than expected, the cloud rose to 17.3km. View 2 | View 3 Muskegon - |Dominic I| Date: 15:37 UTC 11/05/1962 | Type: Airburst @913m | Yield: 50 Kt Advanced lightweight low fission concept, similar to Chetco and Yukon, slightly lower than expected yield. Eight B-57S Sampled the cloud at altitudes from 10,700 to 17,100 meters. Nambe - |Dominic I| | Date: 17:03 UTC 27/05/1962 | Type: Airburst @2176m Yield: 43 Kt Zippo-II test device in a Mk 15 Mod 0 Type 3 drop case. An advanced concepts test using a new unique design. The yield was lower than expected. The cloud top reached 18,500 metres. Good weather conditions permitted excellent test measurements. Swordfish - |Dominic I| | Date: 20:02 UTC 11/05/1962 | sType: Subsurface @-198m Yield: ≤20 Kt A test of the ASROC anti-submarine rocket weapon system. The ASROC used the W-44 warhead, which had a nominal yield of 10 kt. It was a weapons effects test to evaluate effects on ships, submarines, and sonar systems . A target array of four destroyers and a surfaced submarine were positioned at distances between 2011 and 4206m from surface zero. The spray dome from the detonation was 914m wide, and rose to 640m in 16 seconds. The detonation left a huge circle of foam-covered radioactive water. View 2 Yeso - |Dominic I| Date: 17:01 UTC 10/06/1962 | Type: Airburst @2537m | Yield: 3 Mt Advanced concepts test of the 16-M device, similar to the Hardtack I Koa shot. The device performed as expected. clip used by kind permission of Atomcentral.com. Harlem - |Dominic I| Date: 15:37 UTC 12/06/1962 | Type: Airburst @4160m | Yield: 1.2 Mt Parachute-retarded LRL drop test of the W-47Y2 Polaris warhead in a Mk-36 drop case. This device used a Tuba thermonuclear secondary stage. The higher yield Y2 variant doubled the W-47Y1 yield, achieving a yield-to-weight ratio of 3.42 kt/kg. Main clip used by kind permission of Atomcentral.com. View 2 Bighorn- |Dominic I| Date: 15:19 UTC 27/06/1962 | Type: Airburst @3600m | Yield: 7.65 Mt A test of the Cello I-C device in a Mk-36 drop case. An advanced concepts test geared toward increasing thermonuclear yield-to-weight ratios. The test was successful, producing the second largest yield of any Dominic shot. The yield-to-weight ratio was 4.14 kt/kg. The cloud rose to 22.8km. The device was 116cm wide, 244cm long and weighed 1,847kg. View 2 Bluestone - |Dominic I| Date: 15:21 UTC 30/06/1962 | Type: Airdrop @1518m | Yield: 1.27 Mt A parachute-retarded test of the XW-56X2 Prime device in a Mk-36 drop case. It was dropped by a new crew on its first drop mission. The device was similar to that tested in Swanee and Arkansas. This test achieved the full design yield for the W-56 warhead. The cloud rose to 17.6km. First clip used by kind permission of Atomcentral.com. View 2 Sedan - |Storax| Date: 17:00 UTC 06/07/1962 | Type: Subsurface @-190m | Yield: 104 Kt The test was conducted as part of the Plowshare program, an attempt to develop non-military uses for nuclear explosives. The purpose of Sedan was to investigate the use of thermonuclear devices for producing large craters cheaply. 12 million tons of soil and rock were lifted into the air, 8 million tons of it falling outside the crater. The final crater was 390m wide and 97m deep. It released seismic energy equivalent to 4.75 on the Richter Scale. A variant of the W-56 warhead, that had a fusion yield of 70%. The program was abandoned due to residual radiation levels. Clip used by kind permission of Atomcentral.com. Sedan was also considered a Project Plowsare test. View 2 Starfish Prime - |Fishbowl| Date: 09:00 UTC 09/07/1962 | Type: High Altitude @399Km | Yield: 1.4 Mt The 2nd attempt to launch the Starfish test. The original missile engine cut out and the range safety officer sent the destruct signal. Pieces of the missile fell back on Johnston Island causing heavy contamination. Starfish Prime was successful. The Thor missile carried the W-49 warhead/Mk-4 RV payload to 399km. The test was visible from Hawaii 1280km and Kwajalein 2570km away, with impressive light displays from artifical aurora lasting up to 7 minutes. The EMP from the test severely disrupted power infrastructure in Oahu. The W-49 warhead used in this test was used on the Thor, Atlas, Jupiter, and Titan missiles, and was a descendant of the Mk-28. Sunset - |Dominic I| Date: 16:33 UTC 10/07/1962 | Type: Airdrop @1500m | Yield: 1 Mt Sunset was a high yield test of the XW-59 warhead in a Mk-15 drop case. This test successfully reached the full design yield of the W-59. This device was similar to those tested in Questa, Alma, and Rinconada. The mushroom cloud rose to 18.2km. Pamlico - |Dominic I| Date: 15:37 UTC 11/07/1962 | Type: Airdrop @4370m | Yield: 3.88 Mt A parachute-retarded device in a MK-36 drop case. A test of advanced principles for achieving high-efficiency thermonuclear burn, and successfully confirmed theoretical predictions. This was the last Christmas Island airdrop, and the third largest test of Operation Dominic. Johnie Boy - |Sunbeam| Date: 16:45 UTC 11/07/1962 | Type: Artillery @-0.6m | Yield: 0.5 Kt Sponsored by the DOD, this W30 Mod 4 Y2 TADM (Tactical Atomic Demolition Munition) test, similar to Plumbbob Stokes. A cratering weapon effect test, some venting was detected off site. Operation Sunbeam was also known as Dominic II. Little Feller 1 - |Sunbeam| Date: 17:00 UTC 17/07/1962 | Type: Artillery @12m | Yield: 0.018 Kt A test of Davy Crockett tactical nuclear recoilless rifle with a range of 4Km. One of the smallest nuclear weapons ever fielded, developed in late 1950 for use against Soviet troops in West Germany. The M-388 round used a W-54 warhead, a very small sub-kiloton fission device weighing about 23 kg, with a selectable yield of 10 or 20 tons. The shell's greatest effect would have been its extreme radiation hazard. This was the last atmospheric test at the NTS, and was observed by Robert Kennedy and General Maxwell D. Taylor. Article on the Davy Crocket test. Operation Sunbeam was also known as Dominic II. View 2 Androscoggin - |Dominic I| Date: 16:18 UTC 02/10/1962 | Type: Airdrop @3130m | Yield: 75 Kt Intended to be a high yield design test, but it fizzled. The device tested was possibly a Ripple device. This was the first U.S. test were all of the test instrumentation was carried on aircraft. RC-121, C-130, KC-135, and AFSWC RB-52B aircraft were used. This shot was later retested successfully in Housatonic. The cloud reached 16.4km, was 143cm wide, 328cm long and weighed 3015kg. Checkmate - |Fishbowl| Date: 07:30 UTC 20/10/1962 | Type: High Altitude @147Km | Yield: 10 Kt A test of the XW-50X1 warhead launched by a solid fueled XM-33 Strypi rocket using an Army Recruit rocket booster stage. The warhead detonated at an altitude of 146Km, 65Km downrange from Johnston Island, and only 3 kilometers from the airzero point. Since the shot occurred above the atmosphere, a luminous fireball was not formed. Instead observers saw a green and blue circular region surrounded by a blood red ring. This faded in less than a minute, blue-green streamers and pink striations developed that lasted half an hour. Bluegill TP -|Fishbowl| Date: 09:59 UTC 26/10/1962 | Type: Missile @48.2Km | Yield: 400 Kt A W-50 warhead in a Mk-4 reentry vehicle (RV), launched by a Thor missile. Similar to those fired in Adobe, Aztec, and Kingfish. Bluegill Triple prime was preceded by 3 failed attempts. This fourth and finally successful launch resulted in a detonation at an altitude of 48.2km, approximately 30km south-southwest of Johnston Island. This burst occurred low enough in the atmosphere for fireball formation to occur. Observers saw a brilliant flash and noticeable heat pulse on bare skin. A bright moon-like sphere was seen, yellow at first, then gradually showing green, pink, and violet hues. Blue-purple streamers were formed. A bright glow persisted for 30 minutes. The fireball was seen in Hawaii. Housatonic - |Dominic I| Date: 16:02 UTC 30/10/1962 | Type: Airdrop @3700Km | Yield: 8.3 MT Housatonic was the final nuclear weapon airdrop by the U.S. The device tested was a Ripple II in a Mk-36 drop case, and it was delivered with near-perfect accuracy. A repeat of the failed Androscoggin test (which fizzled) and was spectacularly successful, resulting in the highest yield of the Dominic test series. The yield-to-weight ratio was 2.56 kt/kg. High-speed | Initial fireball Kingfish - |Fishbowl| Date: 11:10 UTC 01/11/1962 | Type: Missile @96300m | Yield: 400 Kt Similar to Bluegill Triple Prime, a W-50 in Mk-4 RV launched by a Thor missile. Observers saw a yellow-white, luminous circle with intense purple streamers for the first minute. A large pale-green patch appeared somewhat south of the burst and grew, becoming the dominant visible feature after 5 minutes. By H+1 the green had become dull gray, but the feature persisted for 3 hours. At Oahu a white ball appeared to rise slowly out of the sea, visible for about 9 minutes. Photographed on XR film, released during the 1999 DoE Declassification Program. Clip used by kind permission of Atomcentral.com. Tightrope - |Fishbowl| Date: 06:30 UTC 04/11/1962 | Type: High Altitude @21Km | Yield: 10 Kt A test of the Nike Hercules air defense missile system carrying the W-31 air defense warhead, launched and detonated over Johnston Island. The W-31 came in four yield variants ranging from 1 to 40 kt, it is not known which was fired in this test. On Johnston Island an intense white flash, too bright to view even through high density goggles, was accompanied by a strong heat pulse. A yellow-orange disc formed, slowly changing to a purple toroid. This shot is usually regarded as the last U.S. atmospheric test. Dominic I Medley Date: 1962 | Type: n/a | Yield: n/a Dominic included 36 tests. The majority of the tests (29 airdrops) were weapons development tests, intended to evaluate advanced designs that the labs had been developing during the years of the moratorium and before. This clip contains footage of various colour corrected Dominic I shots. Clip used by kind permission of Atomcentral.com. Salmon - |Whetstone| Date: 16:00 22/10/1964 | Type: subsurface @-830m | Yield: 5.3 Kt The 15th shot of Operation Whetstone, a series of 48 nuclear tests conducted in 1964 and 1965. These followed the Niblick series and was in turn followed by Flintlock. All but one of these blasts were conducted beneath the Nevada Test Site. Clip used by kind permission of Atomcentral.com. Faultless - |Crosstie| Date: 18:15 19/01/1968 |Type: subsurface @-366m | Yield: 1 Mt This shot at Tonopah Nevada, was intended to test environmental and structural effects to determine the feasibility of larger tests in the area. The test was aptly named as it resulted in a large amount of 'faulting' and enlarging of existing natural fissures. Clip used by kind permission of Atomcentral.com. Schooner - |Bowline| Date: 16:00 08/12/1968 | Type: sub-surface @-111m | Yield: 30 Kt An Excavation experiment in hard dry rock. Although Schooner was part of Operation Blowline, it was also considered a Project Plowshare test. Milrow - |Mandrel| Date: 22:06 02/10/1969 | Type: subsurface @-1.22Km | Yield: 1 Mt The purpose of the Milrow shot was to test Amchitka island, not a weapon. It was a 'calibration shot', intended to produce data from which the impact of larger explosions could be predicted, and specifically, to determine whether the planned Cannikin shot could be performed safely. The shockwave reached the surface with an acceleration of over 35g, causing a dome approximately 3km in radius to rise about 5m. The blast 'turned the surrounding sea to froth' and 'forced geysers of mud and water from local streams and lakes 15m into the air. Cannakin Date: 22:00 06/11/1971 | Type: subsurface @-1.8Km | Yield: 5 Mt Project Cannikin was a nuclear test conducted on Amchitka Island, Alaska. It was the largest underground nuclear test conducted in the US, registering 7.0 on the Richter-scale and causing the ground to jump up by 5 meters. It was intended to test the Spartan anti-ballistic missile (ABM) interceptor – a high-yield warhead that produced copious amounts of x-rays and minimized fission output. The test caused huge amounts of damage to the coastline and was largely instrumental in the formation of Greenpeace. Clip used by kind permission of Atomcentral.com. Previous page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4