Christmas Island Atomic Bomb Test

The 15 megaton mt nuclear explosion far exceeded the expected yield of 4 to 8 mt 6 mt predicted and was about 1 000 times more powerful than each of the atomic bombs.

Christmas island atomic bomb test. Operation grapple was a set of four british nuclear weapons test series of early atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs carried out in 1957 and 1958 at malden island and kiritimati christmas island in the gilbert and ellice islands in the pacific ocean modern kiribati as part of the british hydrogen bomb programme nine nuclear explosions were initiated culminating in the united kingdom becoming. The next series of tests over bikini atoll was code named operation castle the first test of that series was castle bravo a new design utilizing a dry fuel thermonuclear bomb. Britain exploded its first hydrogen bomb test at high altitude over the largely uninhabited malden island to minimise nuclear fall out. Britain exploded its first hydrogen bomb on christmas island in 1957 as part of a series of tests in the pacific.

The british nuclear weapon tests on kiritimati or christmas island had profound and lasting cultural consequences for both atomic veterans and local islanders. We used to go out in a little boat and pick up all the irradiated dead fish and bring them back. When the explosions went off the marines were told to turn their backs. The tests ended six years later and parts of the island were sealed off.

Malden island located about 365 miles southwest of christmas island also called kiritimati was the site for the bomb dropping tests with christmas island being the base for operations. The us which carried out nuclear tests alongside british forces on christmas island and elsewhere has set aside 80 million to provide health care and assistance to its nuclear veterans. The former royal marine served on christmas island for 18 months and witnessed three atomic bomb tests. In 1957 the british military began conducting nuclear tests in the pacific ocean and based themselves on christmas island.

1946 clip of u s. It was detonated at dawn on march 1 1954.