Operation Castle
| Operation Castle | |
|---|---|
Castle Romeo
|
|
| Information | |
| Country | United States |
| Test site | Ebiriru (Ruby), Enewetak Atoll; Elugelab (Flora), Enewetak Atoll; Eninmen (Tare), Bikini Atoll; Namu (Charlie), Bikini Atoll; Yurochi aka Irioj (Dog), Bikini Atoll |
| Period | 1954 |
| Number of tests | 6 |
| Test type | barge, dry surface |
| Max. yield | 15 megatonnes of TNT (63 PJ) |
| Navigation | |
| Previous test series | Operation Upshot–Knothole |
| Next test series | Operation Teapot |
Operation Castle was a United States series of high-yield (high-energy) nuclear tests by Joint Task Force 7 (JTF-7) at Bikini Atoll beginning in March 1954. It followed Operation Upshot–Knothole and preceded Operation Teapot.
Conducted as a joint venture between the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the Department of Defense (DoD), the ultimate objective of the operation was to test designs for an aircraft-deliverable thermonuclear weapon.
Operation Castle was considered by government officials to be a success as it proved the feasibility of deployable "dry" fuel designs for thermonuclear weapons. There were technical difficulties with some of the tests: one device had a yield much lower than predicted (a "fizzle"), while two other devices detonated with over twice their predicted yields. One test in particular, Castle Bravo, resulted in extensive radiological contamination of nearby islands (including inhabitants and U.S. soldiers stationed there), as well as a nearby Japanese fishing boat (Daigo Fukuryū Maru), resulting in one direct fatality and continued health problems for many of those exposed. Public reaction to the tests and an awareness of the long-range effects of nuclear fallout has been attributed as being part of the motivation for the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963.
Bikini Atoll had previously hosted nuclear testing in 1946 as part of Operation Crossroads where the world’s fourth and fifth atomic weapons were detonated in Bikini Lagoon. Since then, US nuclear weapons testing had moved to Enewetok Atoll to take advantage of generally larger islands and deeper water. Both Atolls were part of the US Pacific Proving Grounds.
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Wikipedia