Original Bikini Atoll atomic test photos

[Bob Hudson]

These came from the estate of an Air Force officer who got his aerial observer wings in 1941 and by the time of the atomic bomb test at Bikini Atoll (July 1, 1946) was with the intelligence unit at Roswell: that unit was involved in security, intelligence and staff briefings for Operation Crossroads, as the Bikini test was called. These photos range in size from about 10X10 inches to 10X20 inches. I have pulled out some closeups from the photos.

 

Here's two closeups: the initial burst and the mushroom cloud.

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

Here's the photos the above two close-ups came from -

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

These photos were taken on July 2, 1946, the day after the bomb test. The two large photos are similar with one showing a broader area and more ships.

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

Here are some closeups from the above photos.

 

This is the carrier Saratoga showing its damage from the July "Able" test. The Saratoga sank during the "Baker" test on July 25.

 

 

Another ship that went to the bottom in the second test was the submarine USS Apogon (SS_308) shown here near the Submarine Rescue Ship USS Widgeon ARS-1, which has towed the Apogon into place before the tests. Besides the Widgeon there were other manned craft roaming around these waters the day after the blast.

 

 

[Jim Baker]

Bob,

 

Great photos. My Dad was at both the tests on board the USS Shangri-La. I just bought a book about the tests that was printed in 1946. I'll post some photos when I get home.

[The Meatcan]

great photos! those are some impressive shots of the initial bomb burst. Must have been a helluva experience taking those photos.

 

I was always a little saddened by the use and fate of some of those warships though. There were some fine vessels destroyed by those tests, axis and allied alike.

 

Thanks for sharing!

Terry

[Charlie Flick]

Hi Bob:

 

Neat pics, there.

 

I don't think that is the USS Saratoga. It appears to me to be a CVE escort carrier. The Saratoga had very distinctive architecture, as shown below in this Navy photo.

 

Regards,

Charlie Flick

 

[Salvage Sailor]

That is the USS INDEPENDENCE (CVL-22) - I have an archive of 'Crossroads' items from salvors involved in the operation, plus the official record photo book which belonged to (then) Col John A McDavid, USAF, Asst Communications Officer for AAF JTF-1. I also have a grouping from LT Roy Troutt, USN, who commanded the EOD team.

 

You're prompting me to post these items Bob, it's been on my to-do list for some time now.

 

Here's a shot from a different perspective

[Bob Hudson]

Hi Bob:

 

Neat pics, there.

 

I don't think that is the USS Saratoga. It appears to me to be a CVE escort carrier. The Saratoga had very distinctive architecture, as shown below in this Navy photo.

 

Regards,

Charlie Flick

 

 

Oops sorry about that - it's the USS Independence (CVL-22) which started life as the light cruiser Amsterdam (CL-59) and ended life when sunk as a target off the California coast in 1951.

 

[Jim Baker]

Bob,

 

The carrier you show is the Light Carrier "Independence". The Saratoga was indeed sunk during the Baker test and she went down so quickly, nothing could be done. Admiral Blandy wanted to try and save her, but she was too "hot" to approach.

 

Here is the book "Operation Crossroads". An eBay find that is great for answering questions I never got to ask my Dad. 224 pages full of blast photos, damage photos, and explanations of test results.

 

 

Here is the card given to men who participated in the testing. Some of those men extended tours of duty after the war to take part in this and to see an atom bomb detonated.

 

[Jim Baker]

Sorry guys, I'm a slow typist.......

[Bob Hudson]

That is the USS INDEPENDENCE (CVL-22) - I have an archive of 'Crossroads' items from salvors involved in the operation, plus the official record photo book which belonged to (then) Col John A McDavid, USAF, Asst Communications Officer for AAF JTF-1. I also have a grouping from LT Roy Troutt, USN, who commanded the EOD team.

 

You're prompting me to post these items Bob, it's been on my to-do list for some time now.

 

Here's a shot from a different perspective

I even had the photo labeled as the INDEPENDENCE (:

 

The retired Lt. Col. who had these may well have been aboard one of the aircraft that took the photos since he was part of the task force intelligence unit and had his observers wings.

 

These photos have an actual image area of 9x9 inches or 9x18 inches and they are the same size as the negatives (consider that a 35mm camera has a negative of about 1.4 inches wide). The 9X18's would possible have been taken by the K-18 reconnaissance camera which used the 9X18 film and the K-17 which shot 9X9 images.

 

So these photos are not enlargements, they are so-called contact prints and that gives you the highest resolution when printing from a negative. I scanned one section of the 9X18 ships photo and you can tell that this was the Nevada:

 

[Bob Hudson]

The retired Lt. Col. who had these may well have been aboard one of the aircraft that took the photos since he was part of the task force intelligence unit and had his observers wings.

 

In doing some research on the web I found that the officer, retired Lt. Col. Donald B Yeager, was in fact the intelligence officer for the 58th Wing 509th Air Photo Unit on Kwajalein and that unit did in fact take part in Operation Crossroads, designated as Task Unit 1.52. This photo from website about the 509th at http://home.att.net/~sallyann5/b29/u-miller1.html shows then Major Don Yeager:

 

 

According to Mark White on his website about the 509th, the unit was formed early in 1946 apparently for the express purpose of photographing the a-bomb tests. He writes that "Men who had been screened for essential MOS qualifications began to trickle in from all air fields in the nation." An Air Force newpaper photo in 1960 (when Yeager retired) shows that he was an intelligence officer at Roswell, New Mexico and may have been involved with the Trinity nuclear test at White Sands.

 

Which brings to my own Roswell Conspiracy Theory.

 

I have photos, scrapbook items, newspaper articles, etc. showing Don Yeager in the military from primary flight training in 1939 up to 1960 when he retired from the US Air Force after serving as Comptroller at Griffiss AFB. But Yeager never shows up in the Air Force register until he retires - I checked it and the Army Register back into WWII and no mention at all of him! I wonder if this happens very often or if it is related to his intelligence work?

 

Here's a photo of him at the time of his retirement:

 

 

 

 

I've posted more of my personal Roswell theory here: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...showtopic=43244

[Bob Hudson]

The Navy has a webpage that details all of the parts of Operation Crossroads. Here's what they say about Major Yeager's unit:

 

Task Unit 1.5.2 (Army Air Photographic Unit)

 

TU 1.5.2 conducted air photographic operations and furnished aircraft for radiological reconnaissance flights. It was stationed on Kwajalein Island.

 

An old newspaper article says, "The Air Photo Unit, a branch of the task force, was put together and trained in three months. . . . Preliminary training of the air photo unit was begun in Roswell, N. M. Also training was to be completed by April 15, 1946, and all equipment and men were to be on Kwajalein and ready to operate on that date. . . . Certain contruction was required there so it could serve as a base for the B-29 bomb carrier and other aircraft."

 

The website at http://bobo.bobaddleman.com/mary-7_.html has photos of aircraft used by the air photo unit:

 

[Karl_B]

Hi

 

Some great photos, thanks for posting.

 

I read a few years back in a National Geographic that it was safe to dive off the islands and see the wrecks.

 

Cheers

 

Karl

[Bob Hudson]

Thanks to another forum member I have found out that Major Donald B Yeager was an Air Support Party Officer with the 82nd Airborne on D-Day and dropped into Normandy with the 82nd: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...st&p=332706

 

Here's photo of him in 1940 when he was at Infantry School at Fort Benning: that was in between primary flight school and air observer school. This is an enlarged segment of a photo from his scrapbook:

 

[Bob Hudson]

Here is the book "Operation Crossroads". An eBay find that is great for answering questions I never got to ask my Dad. 224 pages full of blast photos, damage photos, and explanations of test results.

 

I wonder if Major Yeager is mentioned in there?

[Jim Baker]

I wonder if Major Yeager is mentioned in there?

 

 

He is not listed in the index.

[Salvage Sailor]

Here are some closeups from the above photos.

 

 

Another ship that went to the bottom in the second test was the submarine USS Apogon (SS_308) shown here near the Submarine Rescue Ship USS Widgeon ARS-1, which has towed the Apogon into place before the tests. Besides the Widgeon there were other manned craft roaming around these waters the day after the blast.

 

 

 

A slight though significant correction to the above. This salvage ship is the historic USS WIDGEON (ASR-1), former Lapwing class minesweeper (AM-22) which was converted to the first dedicated Submarine Rescue vessel - Veteran of WWI, the Pearl Harbor Attack & WWII plus her work at Operation Crossroads as depicted here.

 

Thanks for posting the photo

[4STARCHRIS]

Great pics and information here guys. Thanks for the post and corrections.

4starchris