Operation Ivy
US Atomic Veterans
Richard (Rick) D. Gillen
Richard (Rick) D. Gillen sent email about his duty onboard the USS Leo, during Operation Ivy.
From: gillenrj@mindspring.com
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: Operation Ivy veteran
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1998
My name is Richard (Rick) D. Gillen, 558 56 45, U.S. Navy, EM2, aboard the USS Leo, AKA 60, during Operation Ivy. The Leo carried the tanks of liquid hydrogen used for Mike as well as the technicians and equipment necessary to construct the floatation testing devices which were placed at different points in the sea from ground zero. The Leo had been serving as an ammunition ship in Korea so the crew was familiar with hazardous (explosive) cargo.
The USS Leo, AKA 60, was there for the shot (Mike). I had estimated we were 40 to 45 miles from ground 0 by counting seconds from the enormous blinding flash of light that I seemed to feel through the back of my head and through my body. We were on the opposite side of the ship with the superstructure between us and the blast with our eyes buried in the crooks of our arms.
We did not find any of the floatation devices nor bouys we had set out. We has been told that the name of the island where the 'Big Black Box' was Flora and that it had completely disappeared. Now I see from the web that the island was Elugelab. Was the island code named too? We left after abandoning our search for more measuring devices.
Richard (Rick) D. Gillen
Email: gillenrj@mindspring.com
Keith Whittle
December 26, 1998
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