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Operation Crossroads Editors note: Charles also included a nice illustration that he sent home. July 25, 1946 Wanted to write you about the big boom today or at least what little we could see of it. Just finished a quick sketch of the cloud. It, with the comment, may give you an idea, roughly, of what the blast looked like. First of all we were called to quarter at 8:15 a.m. The ship had been secured--all watertight doors and hatches closed. At muster we were told that a change of policy had been made. We would not have to conceal our eyes from the blast--in fact we could watch it. We all found convenient places to sit and await the bomb test, and promptly at 0835 it went off. There was a brief flash, pale red, and an almost instantaneous cloud rolled up over the lagoon as in sketch (1). About a minute later the cloud had risen several thousand feet and had spread widely like a mushroom top. The "stem" of the mushroom was a large "water spout" I guess you'd call it. The sound of the blast came--a deep rumbling like thunder, for about 15 seconds, I'd say. (that's sketch (2). In another minute the cloud top was up to it's limit of about 5,000 feet. The "stem" was still pouring tons of water into the blotted cloud, and a white--pinkish lined--cloudaout the whole lagoon, rolling outward to form a flat base for the mushroom (sketch (3) Then in a few minutes that mushroom cloud began the fiercest rain storm poor old Bikini probably ever had seen. The downpour lasted over an hour and obscured the view quite a bit for the surface observers (sketch (4). I saw a "drone" B-17 fly through the radio active cloud. Saw the B-29 over the lagoon--way up--that was doing the broadcasting, also other planes (observation, photo, laboratory, eta ! ), B- 17 ' S, B-29's, C-54's, Martin Mariner Flying Boats, and various others. Saw over a dozen at least--which is more than I saw on "Able Day." As far as results--all I know is hearsay. I've heard the Arkansas, Saratoga, and several transports are sunk and others are in a bad way--but you probably will get more news than I will on that. I did see the islands--lots of palms yet and I could see quite a few ship masts in the lagoon still--but it did look as though some were missing. We may go into the lagoon tomorrow or the next day before we leave. I hope so because i'd like to see the results myself.
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