We sat at the dining room table looking through some old newspaper clippings when Don Byers mentioned the USS Wharton. I interrupted to say that Jack Jordan served on the Wharton and that I just talked to him a couple of days ago. "He's got some papers you would like to see. You guys should get together. "He explained that, "the Wharton was fitted out with darkrooms for photographers." Don was actually stationed, and sailed to Bikini on the Saidor (an escort carrier) but worked from the Wharton for shooting pictures of the Target fleet.
| Don's job was to take before and after pictures of the ghost fleet. He had saved some of the forms the photographer had to fill-out listing every shot they took. One of the first forms he showed me was filled out with the discriptions of each photograph, "Mushroom cloud and stem," and for several lines below were written "ditto," "ditto," "ditto." Don said, "During the count down for the shot, I had set a camera on a tripod with two red filters and a pin-hole opening for a time exposure. As the countdown got closer my knees started knocking, all that stood between me and that bomb was the camera."
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From the Wharton, Don, " transferred to a tug, to board the ships of the target fleet and take pictures of the damage." Several of the forms were filled-out with descriptions of the photos, "Midships, gun pit, cable, blast shadow, aft, stack,. . ."
" On YO 160 we were allowed fifteen minutes to get the pictures. When we returned we were checked with geiger counters. The counters had speakers and you could hear it, and they had a scale and you could see the needle go up. Our clothes and bodies were contaminated. I had more of it around my butt, but I hadn't sat down on anything. We were told to turn in our clothes to the laundry and take showers." I asked him if he had had a film badge. "No, I never had a film badge."
After shot Able, Don was transferred back to the states, he had served his enlistment and was out of the military.
As I was leaving I asked Don if he had seen the film Radio Bikini, and we agreed it was really sad. I handed over the videotape we had ordered from the government on Crossroads and told him he would really enjoy it, it has a lot of pictures of the photographers and their equipment on it.
--Keith Whittle, June 1997
These newspaper articles were furnished by Don Byres
Carrier Sails to Record Atom Test In Pictures
Don was stationed on this carrier and the Wharton.
Atom-Blasted Ships Expected To Return to U.S. West Coast
Admiral warns sailors not to remove and keep souvenirs.
Radiation-Soaked Retired Naval Commander
Lies broke, Dying In Virginia Home
This story is about the Engineering Officer aboard the USS Wharton, the ship Jack Jordan served on, and broke down at ground zero.