Operation Ivy
US Atomic Veterans
James Mills
James Mills sent email about his duty at Operation Ivy.
From: "James Mills" nettel2@bellsouth.net
To: "Keith" pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: Operation Ivy
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002
I was looking for info on Ivy and I got on this website and read what Donald Milligan wrote. We were shipmates on the Radford DDE 446. Shipmates have an Association and have a reunion every year.
I was about 18 and assigned to the Operations Division. Each division supplied a mess cook to work in mess hall. KP was what it was. During Ivy I was a messcook. Since there was not much place for liberty everyone always ate on the ship and we had lots to do. I worked in the skullery.
I liked to go to Japtan Island, I enjoyed the fresh cocanut milk.
The hot beer we had wasn't too good. I had a snorkle and really got a kick out of swimming in that crystal clear water. I can still see the pretty colored fish.
The ships took turns staying in port and doing the patrol duties. One of the ships had the Commadore which was a senior Navy Captain in charge of a Division or Squadron of Destroyers. One ship was his permanent flagship. But he would TAD to which ship that stayed in port.
One of the Radford sailors caught a Barracuda on the fantail using a doughball for bait. Some of the others caught small fish and they would swell up because of the water pressure. I saw some men in Milligans group frying fish in the shop using some other kind of oil besides cooking oil, but they had a feast.
During the first shot, we were about 35 miles out. We were at GQ and a messcook would go to his regular station. Mine was in the forward radar transmitter room which had a radar repeater in it. Under normal times this place was unoccupied. When getting ready for sea this was where we turned on the ships radar. I was in here during both shots. All I could see on the first one was it looked like bad weather covering the screen. So I was inside. This space was next door to the Officers Wardroom. I was able to go in there soon after the big shot and look out a porthole. I was disappointed because the cloud was so big it looked like bad weather. The second shot looked better and I could see a mushroom.
We had a sprinker system set up to protect the ship from fallout. Generally when returning to port the entire ship would be painted for returning to port. We had hot spots and places had been scrapped to get rid of them. So the Radford was quite rusty on returning to port. Soon after returning to port I was no longer a mess cook and returned to watch standing and regular duties, we had a lot of painting and cleaning up.
I left the Navy in Nov, 1954. Then I tried it again in 1958. I was on the East Coast then, on 2 more destroyers. I got out for good in 1962. And drove buses for Trailways and Greyhound when they took us over in 1987. I retired in January,2000.
I got caught in a snow storm in Louisville ,Kentucky during Christmas and decided I needed to retire, took me about 1 week after the snowstorm to make up my mine. I saw a big pile up of cars and trucks on TV yesterday just a little South of Louisville. I didn't tell you much but this is my recollections. I might could reminisce with someone and think of more.
Sincerely,
James D. Mills
Fayette, Alabama
Email: nettel2@bellsouth.net
Keith Whittle
February 28, 2002
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