Hardtack 1958
US Atomic Veterans
John Hampton
John Hampton sent email about his duty at Operation Hardtack.
From: "John Hampton" oldieforsure@hotmail.com
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: OPERATION HARDTACK
Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2004
It all started for me on 12 March 1958 when I received copies of
Special Orders Number 12. I had been assigned to an aircrew for a Top
Secret mission in the Pacific, Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands to be
specific. I was an aerial photographer with the 1371st Mappin and Charting
Squadron out of Palm Beach Air Force Base, Florida. From this location our
outfit, the 1370th Photo Mapping Group flying RC 45's, RC 54's and RB-50's
conducted worldwide photo mapping activity for the Air Pictorial and
Charting Service.
My first stop was the infirmary to update my shots. I had gotten
Smallpox, Typhus, Typhoid and Polio shots in January during my annual flight
physical so all I needed was a Cholera shot this visit. Next visit was to
the finance office for an advance on my pay so I would have a couple bucks
in my pocket should we set down anyplace interesting along the way. As it
turned out we overnighted in Hawaii and visited Pearl Harbor. I packed my
B-4 bag with two summer Class "A"'s and all the clean underwear and flight
suits I could find. No "civies" on this trip we were told.
On the 15th of March we took off for the Orient. After our stop in
Hawaii we flew over to Clark Field in the Phillipines to pick up a specially
equipped RB-50 aircraft. We then proceeded on to Eniwetok where additional
cameras were installed by the AEC. We were outfitted with standard photo
mappimg cameras with 12 and 24 inch lenses and some very interesting motion
picture cameras. These additional high speed cameras were arranged in two
cages mounted so as to follow a target below the aircraft. They were
balanced by gyro server motors intended to keep them level regardless of
aircraft attitude. During our two months of training our first photographer
and I set the camera opeartion timing and monitored the high speed cameras
by aiming them on a dye marker in the lagoon 25,000 feet below. Our
responsibility would be to override the gyro motors should anything go
wrong. We flew a race track pattern practicing to be directly overhead at
precisely 25,000 feet at the moment of detonation. All this was coordinated
with gun tracking radar on the islands. The speed of the aircraft was
slowed or increased by controlling the engine power and prop pitch and the
altitude kept true by the pilots using flaps and tail controls.
Ocassionally they would drop the gear to slow the aircraft quickly. These
training flights took place seven days a week. We went up at daylight,
came down for lunch and gas and back up again till late afternoon.
On the 16th of May we were ready for the first shot of our mission,
"Wahoo". On the 8th of June we photographed "Umbrella". Of the two, (both
were Hydrogen bombs) Umbrella was the most impressive. The shock wave hit
our aircraft after we had completed our photo run and while we were in "peel
away" attitude. The aircraft commander, a few moments later, brought the
airplane around to a safe distance off and we watched the mushroom cloud to
see a spectacular sight. Rising up off the lagoon floor was a large funnel
of water, sand and coral rock. Out at the edges of the cloud you could see
large chunks of burning coral rock falling back to the water below. It must
have been 30 minutes or so when we saw an aircraft carrier steaming thru the
area below. We decended to see this ship washing itself down with what
appeared to be shower heads all over the deck and control towers. We didn't
see any one on deck so assumed they were all safe below until these showers
cleaned it. Our aircraft was still pretty hot with radiation when we got
back to the states. We made an emergency landing at Monterey airport and
couldn't get mechanics to come near it.
The crew that I flew with during this assignment were top notch men,
especially our aircraft commander, Capt. Grafton N Smith. Number 4 engine on
the aircraft we had been given was overdue for replacement and burned oil
like a diesel bus. When we left Hawaii coming back to the states we were
told we would not have the use of #4 for the full flight back and it was
feathered and powered down shortly after leveling off at our cruising
altitude. What we didn't expect was the engine fire in number 3 about mid
way into our journey. Capt. Smith extinguished it but it was a goner. Now
number four would have to do extra duty handling the entire load of the
right wing. It wasn't long before it was running out of oil and had to be
shut down. Well there we were, four hours from the California coast and in
an aircraft that wasn't designed to fly on two engines, especially when
they are both on the same wing. By this time we had completly gutted the
inside of the aircraft jettisioning everything out the bomb bay. We kept
water, life vests, parachutes and rafts, everything else went to the deep
six. We passed two Navy PBY's sent out to escort us and a destroyer
diverted to pick us up if we had to ditch. Also a TWA Constellation headed
for Seattle changed its course and kept an eye on us. When we finally saw
the Golden Gate Bridge with its bright yellow lights on the horizon we were
pretty darn happy to say the least Capt. Smith really excelled when
bringing us in for the landing. He had restarted #4 because he knew it
would be needed to land safely. We had only one shot to get this
cumbersome, underpowered bomber into this unfamiliar, small civilian airport
at night. There was not enough power available to make a go around once
commited to the approach and landing pattern. Number four performed OK
until we hit the ground, Capt. Smith put #1 & #4 into reverse pitch to
brake the aircraft and it overheated and froze up. All hell broke loose
with burning smoke and flaming sparks everywhere. How he stopped the plane
I will never know but when he hit the escape bell we were all out of there
lickety split. I had many close calls in my seven years of flying RB-29's,
RB-36's and RB-50's but his was by far the most expert handling of an
aircraft of all my experiences.
The unit, 1370th Photo Mapping Group, did earn an Air Force Outstanding
Unit Award for its participation in Operation Hardtack and crewmembers were
all given Commerative Zippo lighters by the AEC.
John Hampton
USAF 1952-59
Email: oldieforsure@hotmail.com
Keith Whittle
April 16, 2004
[ Operation Hardtack1 ]