80 years ago, the military tested nukes on a fleet

[Marlin]

A fun act that I never knew:

" To track the damage, more than 150 other ships were brought in, while remote-controlled B-17 bombers (essentially a primitive drone) flew overhead with cameras and sensors to record the detonations and fallout."

80 years ago, the military tested nukes on a fleet

https://taskandpurpose.com/history/operation-crossroads-nuclear-test-fleet/

[Core Content]

The United States military conducted Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll in July 1946 to evaluate the effects of atomic weapons on naval fleets. The mission involved two detonations, Able and Baker, which sank 15 vessels and contaminated the surrounding environment, marking the first post-war nuclear tests conducted by the military.

These tests demonstrated that radiation exposure posed a threat to naval operations beyond the immediate blast damage. The findings forced the military to reconsider conventional force structures and highlighted the long-term environmental and health consequences of atmospheric nuclear testing. The operation remains a foundational case study for understanding radioactive fallout and the challenges of decontamination in maritime environments.

Operation Crossroads saw the Army and Navy try to see what atomic weapons could do to a conventional force.

By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

After World War II, the U.S. military had a new problem to figure out: Just what could a nuclear weapon do against a conventional force? To figure that out, the Army and Navy teamed up for the first post-war nuclear tests, assembling a massive fleet, tens of thousands of troops and several of its then-limited atomic arsenal for what would be dubbed Operation Crossroads.

Read the full article at Task & Purpose:
https://taskandpurpose.com/history/operation-crossroads-nuclear-test-fleet/