Test Baker
E50510
Test Baker was the second underwater nuclear detonation of Operation Crossroads in 1946, conducted at Bikini Atoll to study the effects of nuclear weapons on naval ships and equipment.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
nuclear weapons test
→
underwater nuclear detonation → |
| associatedProgram |
early Cold War nuclear testing program of the United States
→
|
| blastEffect |
caused severe damage to nearby ships by shock and flooding
→
generated a large water column and base surge → |
| country |
United States
→
|
| date |
1946-07-25
→
|
| detonationDepth |
about 90 feet
→
approximately 27 meters → |
| detonationMedium |
underwater
→
|
| detonationPosition |
suspended beneath a landing ship
→
|
| deviceNickname |
Helen of Bikini
→
|
| deviceType |
plutonium implosion bomb
→
|
| displacedPopulation |
contributed to long-term displacement of Bikini Atoll inhabitants
→
|
| environmentalImpact |
long-term radioactive contamination of Bikini lagoon sediments
→
|
| falloutType |
base surge laden with radioactive water droplets
→
|
| followedBy |
Test Charlie
→
|
| historicalSignificance |
early demonstration of the radiological hazards of nuclear weapons
→
influenced later nuclear test safety and decontamination procedures → |
| legalStatus |
conducted under U.S. military authority at a United Nations Trust Territory
→
|
| location |
Bikini Atoll
→
Marshall Islands → |
| notableConsequence |
led to scrapping or sinking of many contaminated vessels
→
made decontamination of many ships impossible → produced severe radioactive contamination of lagoon water and ships → |
| numberOfTargetShips |
over 90
→
|
| observation |
extensively photographed and instrumented for scientific study
→
|
| operator |
Manhattan Project personnel
→
United States Army → United States Navy → |
| partOf |
Operation Crossroads
→
|
| precededBy |
Test Able
→
|
| purpose |
to evaluate radiological contamination from an underwater nuclear explosion
→
to study the effects of nuclear weapons on naval ships and equipment → |
| radiologicalEffect |
produced intense neutron activation of lagoon water and ship hulls
→
|
| result |
heavily contaminated target fleet with radioactive fallout
→
sank multiple target ships → |
| targetType |
equipment
→
naval vessels → |
| testGeometry |
shallow underwater burst in a lagoon
→
|
| testNumberInSeries |
second
→
|
| testSeriesRole |
demonstration of radiological warfare potential against naval forces
→
first underwater nuclear explosion against a fleet of ships → |
| timeAfterAble |
24 days
→
|
| year |
1946
→
|
| yield |
23 kilotons of TNT
→
|
Referenced by (5)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Baker
→
|
codename |
|
Test Able
→
|
followedBy |
|
Operation Crossroads
→
|
hasPart |
|
Test Charlie
→
|
relatedTo |
|
USS Arkansas
→
|
sunkDuringTest |