Hardtack 1958
US Atomic Veterans
Rodger Dana
Rodger Dana sent email about his duty at Operation Hardtack.
From: "Rodger Dana" lodger@toledotel.com
or
CHOWANOC@NAFTS.com
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: I am an ATOMIC VET, from Operation HARDTACK,1958
Date: Tue, 26 Dec 2000
I am Rodger Dana, of Castle Rock, WA. I served on the USS CHOWANOC, ATF 100 from 1956-58 as an ET. I was aboard the ATF 100 during OPERATION HARDTACK in 1958.
As I recall,the CHOWANOC was utilized at Eniwetok to "mother" the fleet of LCMs used for taxi service in the lagoon, to recover instrumentation from underwater tests,and moor target vessels for tests.
The ship was hotter than a bake oven every day and hardly cooled any at night. To avoid prolonged use of the evaporators and the resulting heat, the crew would go to JAPTAN Island every few days to shower,swim and partake of cheap beer and booze. The snorkeling was excellent and shark nets were provided. There was a wrecked Jap ship on the beach, but we couldn't explore it because of fear of radiation. Japtan did have lots of Jap fortifications to explore, though. Also there were those who took on a little too much happy water and tried to climb the cocoanut palm trees. Fortunately there were medics near by!
As I recall, the lagoon was about 17 miles across and the "Eggheads (scientists )" were proceeding to blow away the islands across the lagoon at a steady rate. It seemed a lot closer from where the ATF 100 was anchored, off PERRY Island (between Eniwetok and Japtan Islands). Sometimes we would be warned to police up all the paper because the heat flash from a certain test might ignite it from 17 miles away!
The underwater tests were spectacular. The deep water shot (outside the lagoon) was too close for comfort as our ship was just 9000 yards from "Ground Zero". We could see the target ships come clear out of the water, then go clear under. None were lost, but some were severely damaged. We had to heave-to and do some damage control work on a target ship (destroyer) that we were towing back to the Reserve Fleet at Pearl Harbor.
When they conducted the lagoon underwater test, the ATF 100 didn't leave the lagoon( I don't think) and it seemed that "ground Zero" was much too close. We steamed into the blast area immediately, taking radiation samples and recovering instrumentation(and pumping that "HOT" water thru our heat exchangers and Lord knows where else!) One morning,we had to scrub down the Chowanoc because of "hot" rain from weather that came from Bikini.
I remember seeing two Hydrogen bomb tests,conducted at Bikini (several hundred miles away), from our ship anchored in Eniwetok lagoon. One was before sunrise and the entire world lit up just like it was noon! Scared me much more than the local test shots. The other Bikini shot was at 3pm on a typical super-bright day where one had to squint to see. That shot lighted up the area as if a giant welding rod had struck an arc overhead!
I recall one instance where a " Greyhound" division entered the lagoon to relieve the destroyer division on duty. Before the anchor chains quit rattling, the
Wardroom Stewards were dipping their fishing lines into the "Hot" water of the lagoon to catch a fresh mess of fish for supper. They were stopped before the meal was served!
On the way back to Pearl, with 2 target ships in tow, we witnessed a very high altitude nuclear burst from a Missile launched from Johnston Island. Our radio gear temporarily quit, one of the first instances of Electromagnetic Pulse
Phenomenon.
Ah,Yes ,the movies at Eniwetok! Here we were, 10,000 miles away from any women and all the movies available were the sexiest Hollywood could make in those days. By the time we returned to Pearl Harbor on the way home, the entire crew, with all that money, were ready for Honolulu! I remember that the "Old Man" wanted to leave as soon as the 48 hour mandatory quarantine period was up, but two thirds of the crew were behind bars in the HASP Brig!. The XO managed to get them back to the ship with a promise that we would get under way immediately. A Marine Officer from the Brig came down to the ship with the "bad boys" to be sure that we departed right away and remained on the pier till we were several hundred yards out! The "Old Man "(a mustang Quartermaster LtCdr) was quite embarrased and held quite a few Captains Masts on the way back to San Diego. Punishment was minor,however.
The return from Pearl to San Diego was uneventful,as the water was like glass all the way. There were no stars visible all the way,and our LORAN was unreliable, but our Captain was an excellent navigator and "dead-reckoned" the ships course so well that we were within 20 miles of prediction-point when we picked up land on RADAR some five or so days later! And we were riding very high on the water because we hadn't refueled since Pearl Harbor on the way to Eniwetok some 5 months before.
Did any of our crew suffer from radiation related problems? I heard (3rd or 4th hand) that EN1 Bankston had died of cancer and that his wife had tried, unsuccessfuly, to file a claim claiming that the HARDTACK Radiation had caused the cancer.
You have my permission to post this on your site. Any questions or comments should be directed to me at RdAtAtf100@military.com This letter is also being submitted to the National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors(NAFTS) www.NAFTS.com TOWLINE magazine for a possible future issue.
Rodger Dana
ATF-100, 1956-58.
Email: RdAtAtf100@military.comor
Email: CHOWANOC@NAFTS.com
Keith Whittle
January 4, 2001
[ Operation Hardtack1 ]