Elmer sent email about his duty at Wigwam.
Keith,
I was on the Cree ATF 84 for two years. I was on the deck force most of the
time. I spent hours on watch both underway and in port as both messenger
and Quartermaster of the watch and got to know most of the crew except those
in the engine room. Several names that come to mind after so many years are
Joe Broderick, PM1; Joe Ice, BM2; Wayne Dozal, GM1 Carl Shepard, BMSN,
Juneau Garson, and D. J. Morris, SN. Morris and Garson were both from
Montana, as I am. I don't recall the name of Rick Edwards.
I can remember being at the DE Base in San Diego during the early spring of 1955. My cousin was serving on the Hopewell (DD-681) was in port at the
same time and I wasn't allowed to go visit him as I normally did, apparently
because of the tight security.
Operation Wigwam:
As the Cree was always towing barges or targets in these types operations as part of the auxillary fleet, we gave little thought that we might be towing
a nuclear device, but whenever we used the two-inch cable instead of the
usual one and a half, we thought something was different. We knew the
atomic blast would be conducted 300-400 miles distant from Long beach. On
the day of the blast the crew had rigged the ship extremely tight and all
loose items were tied down, and no fire in the galley, just cold sandwiches
and coffee set out.
Before the blast, crew members top side and bridge were issued dark welder
type glasses to protect the eyes and we were told not to look directly at
the detonation. There was a flash, then wind, noise, and then shock waves
coming across the ocean. I remember it being as still as glass, then the
ship was pushed side ways and began to shake, the small rolls 4 feet,
probably 10 to 12 degrees, four foot waves. We were told to get below deck
and prepare for additional shock waves. Our uniform for the day was battle
gear, helmet, life jacket, shirt buttoned up and collar turned up and socks
pulled up over our pants legs. This was protection? I was in the "A"
division compartment which is just under the main hatch, near the fan tail,
and we could hear the stress on the main shaft and the bulkheads. After
some time, I don't know how long, some deck force were ordered topside to
man the fire hoses and wash down the ship and decontaminate it , with
contaminated sea water. We, those who were topside, had to wear the film
badge (which measure radiation) at all times except when below deck.
Some time after the blast, it could have been the next day, the Cree was
assigned to assist in hooking up a barge that was drifting unattached.
Volunteers we called to man the motor whale boat, I was given the task of
Boat Coxsman, D. J. Morris was Bow Helman, and a fireman whose nickname was
"Red" was on the engine. We secured a tow line to the barge and boarded the
barge to retrieve some metal boxes which civilian personnel wanted. I
received a Certificate of Merit for this duty. All hands aboard ship
received a Certificate of Participation in "Operation Wigwam" signed by
Admiral Sylvester. Mine were destroyed in a house fire.
I had a Polaroid camera and took pictures of the shock waves. I was caught
and the camera and film were confiscated, the camera was returned to me when
we reached San Diego.
I never thought a lot afterward about what had transpired. In 1994 D. J.
Morris got my address and wanted me to testify at a veterans hearing trial
or examination. I said I would and was never called again. All the other
members of this duty have, except myself, been ill with undiagnosable
symptoms, and I was told three of five had died. They were all classified
as lung cancer and two had never smoked.
I am sorry to ramble on but in closing, I think we got the dirty end of the
stick with an experience endangering human life in peace time. Those
dangers may not have been all the apparent at the time, but they should be
acknowledged now.
Elmer R. Cole
Helena, Montana
Email: becole@ixi.net
Keith Whittle
April 26, 1998
[ Operation Wigwam ]