Operation Redwing
1956
US Atomic Veterans
Bruce Anderson
From: Bruce Anderson
Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: Operation Redwing
I was attached to CTG 7.3 boat pool as an ET2C. I came out to Bikini 3 mos
before the tests started to do various stuff - set up communications - equip
an LCM with sonar to plot out anchorages, etc. I had a Q / Sigma 14 clearance
and could go most anywhere.
I had the luxury of "high
density" goggles for viewing and I pirated a GM counter. I worked on one
island (Fox, I believe) where a shot was being constructed. In the last
evening evacuation, a fortunes worth of new vehicles and equipment were left
behind to be vaporized in a few hours. I commented and was told "If you can
get them home, take them".
Got caught in fallout while out checking things in an LCVP - we put a tarp
over our heads and headed for the nearest ship - washdown was on - I undogged
the hatch and was met with a .45 in my face. After a heated discussion, we
were allowed on board - the Lt. didn't want his ship contaminated - really! It
got worse from there.
Wandered around and explored all kinds of stuff - truck parts scattered around
that looked like melted wax, some spectacular craters, etc. Did a lot of skin
diving - actually found a stonefish!
Got buzzed by a B 52 while out on the lagoon. Helped place the radar target
that must have made it look like Manhattan and they still missed it by 3
miles!
Couldn't believe each shot - it was almost like the end of the world. Took 20
seconds before I could view the fireball through goggles so dense that you
could barely see the sun through them!
Lived aboard a barge anchored in the lagoon for a few months - we dressed in
stolen army clothes and ate stolen Officer's club food (and booze!) since the
boat pool transported all the supplies that came in, and a lot of the choice
stuff ended up in the engine rooms and then on the barge! We had a lifetime
supply of spam and plenty of beer along with fresh fruit.
Remember the boats loading in the Catamount - quite a show!
Was in Wigwam, too - what a debacle!
Anyway, I'll bring this to a close.
If this stuff is of any interest, I have lots to talk about!
Bruce Anderson,
9350 SW Salmon St.,
Portland, OR 97225,
503.384.0412
2nd Email
Yes, I was contaminated when caught in the fallout. They reluctantly let the
three of us on board (don't remember what ship) and we stood around for an
hour or two until some guys in decontamination suits showed up. They roped off
some showers and we scrubbed ourselves pink while these alien looking guys
watched. We were all cracking up and it caused a big disruption on the ship.
We had enough sense while out in the fallout to put a tarp over us and to
breathe thru handkerchiefs - interestingly enough we couldn't see the damn
stuff and only got a clue when we saw washdowns going on some distant ships.
Turned on my GM counter and there it was!
Wigwam - there were three tethered subs and two were never recovered. A
mountain of water came up and we were downwind! I immediately went below and
never came topside till we came to port. Some guys thought the shower they got
was fun - right!
An interesting anecdote not many know of - the "secure" FM
radio gear for countdown and other info that I installed hit a skip
transmission phenomenon and was picked up over some L.A. taxicab radios! The
cabbies didn't know what the hell was going on, and this almost blew the cover
of a nuclear detonation off the CA coast!
At Redwing one of our guys brought over a porno film and projector. After
taps, the M boats would go out (no lights) and pick up people at $5 a head.
We'd show the film on the deck of an LCT. Word of mouth got out and it was SRO
every night! We all picked up some running around money!
The boat pool was a somewhat elite organization headed by the best leader of men I've ever experienced ( Ltjg Watkins - "skins" to his friends). All the M boats were piloted by nothing lower than a 1st or 2nd class boatswain. Loved to watch them "surf" these M boats into the Catamount whenever we pulled out!
This is the first that I have even looked into this background. Finding
you guys is better than a reunion! People that havn't experienced these tests
think you're nuts when you tell them about them. I also have some good stuff
about the Big one in '54 from someone who was there.
Thanks, Bruce
Bruce Anderson
Bruce Anderson
From: Bruce Anderson
Date: Sun, 5 Jul 1998
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: Re: Atomic Veteran (Redwing and Wigwam
I liked the films, though the narrations were typical military (boring).
I remember the AP news releases after every shot with information from
Japanese monitoring stations that pretty accurately pinpointed location, time,
and yield of each Bikini shot - these people were justifiably sensitive to
what we were doing.
I met a guy while I was on "Fox" island (the opening photo in the tape depicts
it - I said holy cow, I was THERE when I saw the tape!) and none of us knew
what we were individually doing - we did some skin diving together - we went
our separate ways and I next saw him getting transportation on an LCT wearing
a business suit and in the company of other suited civilians and gold like you
wouldn't believe - he left the group and came over to say hi and I asked him
who ARE you? He said let's just say that I outrank all these jerks I'm with. I
never did find out who my friend was! - just his first name - Art.
We were out in the lagoon in an LCVP when one of the B52s that was practicing
for the air drop decided to "buzz" us. We saw the trails of black smoke as he
poured it on and he flew over us at no more than 20 feet altitude. One of the
scariest things I've ever experienced.
We had an M boat transporting some scientists along with a load of dynamite
going across the lagoon and he got in a rain squall. When he radioed a
dispatcher for a heading, he was given information that was good for a
different boat that the dispatcher saw. The long and short of it was that this
boat went between two islands and out to sea! Turned out the compass on the
boat was not working either! I got called because they were out of radio and
sight contact, so I got an AN/PRC pack radio, buried the bottom in wet sand
for a ground plane and got them. A DC-4 was flown out from 'wetak to find
them, which it did, and just before dark, they made it back with some really
scared scientists!
Sometimes the real world is funnier than thing that get into the movies!
Bruce Anderson
Bruce Anderson
--Keith Whittle
August 8, 1998
Operation Redwing