I sent you the history of USS Current during Crossroads some time ago. I
have recently completed a complete USS Current web site and have linked
your site to mine.
Several people have found your Atomic Vets site and found my email
address there and emailed me looking for more history on Current. A few
Current crewmembers during Crossroads have also contacted me and seem to
be in good health. I have also given them your website address.
At the conclusion of World War II, USS Current remained an active member of the Service Force Pacific Fleet. During May 1946 Current departed Pearl Harbor for the Marshall Islands as one of six salvage ships that was assigned to support Operation Crossroads, the first atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll, conducted during the month of July 1946.
The ships selected for the target fleet consisted of seventy obsolete ships that would have been decommissioned and sold for scrap. Three surrendered ships were also included as part of the target fleet. The battleship Nagato and the cruiser Sakawa were surrendered from the Imperial Japanese Navy and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen was surrendered from the German Navy and awarded to the United States after World War II. The Navy's ships included two aircraft carriers, the Saratoga and the Independence, four battle ships, the New York, the Arkansas, the Pennsylvania and the Nevada. Twelve destroyers, eight submarines, nineteen attack transports and numerous smaller vessels including landing craft, yard oilers, several concrete dry-docks and barges were also selected as a part of the target fleet.
Current was one of the support ships at Operation Crossroads that was temporarily listed as radioactively contaminated. No data has yet been found that reveals the level of radioactive contamination sustained by Current at Operation Crossroads.
Varying degrees of contamination did occur to virtually all of the support ships that reentered Bikini Lagoon after both the Able and Baker blasts during late July and August 1946. This was primarily caused by severe radioactive contamination of
the lagoon water following the underwater detonation of Test Baker. As a result, the radioactive water from Bikini lagoon was taken into the heat exchangers of ships
engines and into the saltwater intake piping systems used to convert seawater to fresh water for drinking, food preparation and personnel hygiene on board the support ships. In order to prevent contamination of the drinking water, Crossroads ships were instructed to scrape off marine growth near the waterline because it was discovered that marine organisms absorbed very high levels of radioactive material. The ships were also instructed not to steam their evaporators in excess of eighty percent and not to repair or disassemble the evaporators without a radiation monitor present.
A search of dosimeter data revealed that there was a total of seventy-seven crewmembers and an undetermined number of other individuals aboard USS Current during Operation Crossroads. Forty-six individuals were issued radiation film badges for parts of July and August 1946. One individual either did not return the badge or it was rendered unreadable due to adverse environmental conditions. Of the remaining forty-five individuals that wore radiation badges, the recorded mean radiation exposure level was .056 rem of gamma radiation with the range of radiation exposure from zero to .72 rem of gamma radiation. Alpha and Beta radiation levels were not measured.
Current arrived at Bikini Lagoon on June 3, 1946 and reported to Captain B.E. Manseau, Commander Salvage Task Unit 1.2.7. Current was among five other salvage ships assigned to Operation Crossroads including USS Preserver ARS-8, USS Deliver ARS-23, USS Clamp ARS-33, USS Conserver ARS-39 and USS Reclaimer ARS-42.
Current began to prepare for the tests by placing buoys and target ships in their assigned positions. On June 30, Current departed Bikini Lagoon to take its position down range for Test Able.
On July 1, at 0900, Current observed Test Able; an air burst approximately 500 feet above the lagoon, from a radius of over fifteen miles from ground zero. Approximately four hours later Current reentered Bikini Lagoon and observed numerous ships burning and explosions in the target area. The extreme heat generated from the initial fireball caused wooden decks, paint and
other combustible materials on the superstructures of many of the target ships to ignite and burn.
The Japanese cruiser Sakawa, which was near ground zero, was burning fiercely and continued to burn for twenty-four hours. The force of the blast crushed its superstructure and the hull showed major damage. Sakawa's stern was breached in several locations. Even though the Sakawa was very radioactively contaminated, the fleet tug USS Achomawi ATF-148 was dispatched to tow the Sakawa to a beach in an attempt to save it from sinking. After the Achomawi had attached its main two inch tow cable to the Sakawa and began to take a strain on the cable, the Sakawa's bow rose up, the stern was already awash and the ship had lost all stability. Almost immediately, the Sakawa keeled over eighty-five degrees to port and began to sink by the stern. As the Sakawa was going down with Achomawi' s tow cable still attached to the bow, Achomawi continued to pay out the tow cable. Several attempts were made to stop the tow cable so the cable could be cut by an acetylene torch. Each time an attempt was made to stop the tow cable from reeling out, the strain of the sinking Sakawa would cause the Achomawi's bow to lurch up. The tow cable was finally cut with an acetylene torch. Approximately fifty to one hundred feet of Achomawi's tow cable went to the bottom of Bikini Lagoon with the Sakawa.
Three and a half-hours later Current moored alongside the target battleship USS Pennsylvania BB-38 and embarked a fire fighting team to extinguish the fires. A boarding party was also sent aboard to photograph and evaluate the extent of the bomb damage and radiation levels on board the ship. Both teams returned within forty-four minutes after extinguishing the fires.
Current departed the USS Pennsylvania and anchored southeast of the target array on the southwest corner of Enyu Island for the night. The following day the ship moored alongside the target attack transport USS Fallon APA-81 for one hour and thirty-five minutes. Both the survey and fire fighting parties were placed on board to extinguish smoldering fires on the forecastle deck. After leaving the Fallon, Current tied up to the target heavy cruiser USS Salt Lake City CA-25 for one hour and eight minutes. The survey and fire fighting team was embarked on board for fifty-five minutes. After leaving the Salt Lake City, Current moored alongside the target submarines USS Apogon SS-308 and the USS Skipjack SS-184 for ten minutes each. The inspection team spent eight minutes on board each of the submarines. Current then moored alongside the target aircraft carrier Independence CVL-22 for forty-nine minutes to keep the carrier clear of other vessels in the area. It then followed the aircraft carrier while it was under tow by the USS Chickasaw ATF-83 to a new anchorage.
Current returned the surveying team to the technical support ship USS Wharton AP-7 then proceeded to anchor in the lagoon. The ship moored alongside the target ship LST-125 for two hours to remove a kedge anchor then tied up along the stern of the LST to attach the anchor. Diving operations were conducted on July 14th to retrieve hydrophone cable. On July 16, Current moored alongside the Japanese target ship Nagato for two hours and forty-seven minutes to hoist Nagato's s anchor aboard Current. After the anchor was secured onboard, Current anchored close aboard the target German cruiser Prinz Eugen from 1029 to 0755 the morning of July 18. The ship weighed anchor and proceeded to moor to a buoy in the center of the target area and began laying cable for scientific measuring instruments.
In preparation for the second Crossroads atomic test, Current participated in a rehearsal of convoy operations from 1300 on July 18 to 1245 the next day. After leaving the convoy, the ship reentered the lagoon and circled the target attack transport USS Geneva APA-86 for five minutes. Current then circled the target ship USS Fallon for six minutes and proceeded close aboard the starboard side of USS Wharton for nine minutes.
July 20 found Current anchored close aboard the starboard bow of the target aircraft carrier USS Saratoga CV-3 for twenty-five hours conducting diving operations to recover a hawk anchor. The ship departed the Saratoga, anchored in the center of the target area and continued diving operations for approximately twenty-three hours.
On July 22, Current tied up alongside the technical support vessel USS Kenneth Whiting AV-14, to receive pressure tanks. The ship then proceeded to anchor in various locations within the target area for six hours and twenty-five minutes to lay instrument buoys in preparation for the Test Baker detonation. The ship anchored three hundred yards south of the German target ship Prinz Eugen for the night.
On the morning of July 23, the salvage vessel USS Mender ARSD-2 came alongside Current to receive the hawk anchor recovered a few days earlier. After leaving the Prinz Eugen, Current moored with a bowline to the target ship LST-133 and a stern line to a mooring buoy aft for four hours and 35 minutes to conduct diving operations on an instrument buoy.
The motor whaleboat was hoisted aboard on July 24 and Current departed Bikini Lagoon to take its position for Test Baker. Current viewed the Test Baker detonation on July 25, more than ten miles from ground zero. Three and a half hours later Current reentered the lagoon once again to assist surveying teams monitoring the radiation levels and damage to the target vessels. The USS Geneva APA-86 and LCT-705 were boarded and inspected while Current moored alongside each ship for thirteen minutes and twelve minutes respectively. The Geneva was declared safe to board and the LCT-705 was found to be radioactively contaminated.
On July 28, Current moored alongside LST-545 for nine minutes to place aboard and return a survey team. The ship then tied up alongside LST-220 for eight minutes to put over the inspection team. After the boarding team returned, the ship tied up to LCI-329 for one hour and seven minutes. The survey team returned after fifty-seven minutes. Current proceeded to LCI-327 and began washing down the target ship in an attempt to decontaminate it, then placed the survey team on board for six minutes.
The next day, July 29, the ship once again moored to LCI-327 for one hour and 28 minutes. The first boarding team returned after 36 minutes. The LCI was washed down again and reevaluated for an addtional seven minutes. The next target ship was the destroyer USS Wainwright DD-419, inspected for eleven minutes. Current then circled a seaplane for photographic evaluation and lowered the ship's motor whaleboat to take an inspection team to board two PB2Y-5E Coronado seaplanes. Once the inspection team and the motor whale boat returned, the ship moored alongside the target destroyer USS Mugford DD-389 for thirty-eight minutes for inspection. The monitoring group inspected the target attack transport USS Cateret APA-70 and was on board for fifteen minutes. Current proceeded to circle the Mugford for one hour attempting to decontaminate it by washing it down, then came alongside for five minutes to place aboard the inspection team for three minutes.
The following day Current continued to wash down the Mugford with the forward fire-fighting monitor for an additional hour and forty-eight minutes. The inspection team reboarded for nine minutes to retrieve a recording device. One hour and forty two minutes were then spent washing down the destroyer Wainwright and placing the inspection team on board for sixteen minutes. The inspection team then boarded the target ship LCT-1114 and returned within ten minutes. Current's motor whaleboat returned to LCT-1114 with a demolition team to sink the ship with a charge of dynamite. After the first charge failed to sink the ship, a second charge was placed and detonated. The highly radioactive LCT sank into the lagoon.
On July 31, a safety monitor arrived aboard from the technical support ship USS Haven APH-112. Current then returned to the Mugford and moored alongside for three hours and nine minutes attempting to wash it down with water from the forward and the auxiliary monitors. A survey team reboarded for seven minutes.
Current proceeded to wash down the target ship USS Butte APA-68 for two hours and twenty-eight minutes. It moored alongside to embark the survey team for twenty-five minutes, then laid to off of the technical support ship USS Cumberland Sound AV-17 for twenty-five minutes to transfer recording instruments recovered from the Mugford.
On August 1, Current washed down the attack transport USS Briscoe APA-65. The boarding party stayed on board for only three minutes. The USS Bracken APA-64 was then washed and boarded for thirteen minutes. Current proceeded to wash down LCT 705 and boarded it for seven minutes.
The next day Current returned to the USS Bracken to wash it down again and sent on the inspection team for an additional thirty minutes. Current then went to the destroyer USS Rhind DD-404 to wash it down and board it for five minutes.
From August 7 through August 12, Current conducted diving operations over the sunken submarine USS Apogon SS-308 and from August 13 through August 20, conducted diving operations over the sunken submarine Pilotfish SS-386.
The next day Current began the search for the sunken hulk of the Japanese battleship Nagato. The next four days were spent conducting diving operations on the Nagato.
On August 25, Current departed Bikini Lagoon for Kwajalein Atoll with the target LST 661 in tow and arrived at Kwajalein August 27. On the same day the ship departed Kwajalein for Wotho Island to tow the target destroyer Mayrant DD-402 to Kwajalein. After returning Mayrant to Kwajalein on August 29, Current anchored off Ebeye Island in Kwajalein Lagoon.
During the months of September, October and November, Current assisted in and around the Kwajalein area assisting with scientific inspections, salvage operations on damaged target vessels and the towing and moving of several radioactively contaminated ships.
On December 2, Current departed Kwajalein for Pearl Harbor with the British submarine Samjack in tow and entered Pearl Harbor December 18, 1946. Current remained at Pearl Harbor conducting routine activities until January 31.
On February 1, Current departed for Kwajalein and arrived February 11 to continue salvage and diving operations on former target vessels including the battleships USS New York BB-34, USS Nevada BB-36, the cruisers USS Pensacola CA-24, the USS Salt Lake City CA-25 and the aircraft carrier USS Independence CVL-22.
Current remained in the Kwajalein area until July 22 then departed for Pearl Harbor arriving there on July 31, 1947.
Hello Keith,
I sent you a note a few months ago asking how or where I could get a copy of Radio Bikini. I called the local PBS station in San Francisco and was told their contract had expired and didn't expect ro show Radio Bikini again on the Human Experience. I've had no luck at video stores or libraries. I recall that you said I might borrow yours to view. If it's possible, I'll gladly view it and return it.
As I told you I was researching the history of the ship I served on in 1966, USS Current, and received its history from Operation Crossroads through DNA Opennet.
After reading Jonathan Weisgall's book, (Operation Crossroads) and USS Current's history, I was apalled! If you are interested, I'll send you a copy of the history.
I was reading your web page and see one of your vets was stationed aboard another salvage ship, USS Clamp, during Crossroads. I'd like to read his story. You are right, Time Is Running Out. The world needs to hear about this atomic disaster!
Best Regards,
JIM VASKO
jimvasko@juno.com
Editor's note: We sent Jim our only copy of Radio Bikini, which he viewed and returned. This "History of the USS Current" is compliments of Jim Vasko and the Defense Nuclear Agency.
-- Keith Whittle, Dec. 6, 1997