Hardtack 1958
US Atomic Veterans
Thomas J. Hanlon
Thomas (Jerry) Hanlon sent an excellent spiral bound book containing his personal military collection about his duty at Operation Hardtack.
Operation Hardtack
Joint Task Group 7.2
1958 Series of Nuclear Detonations
Eniwetok Proving Ground(Marshall Islands) and Johnston Island
South Central Pacific Ocean
As recollected by
Specialist Thomas J. (Jerry) Hanlon RA 19554224
United States Army Ballistic Missile Agency
76th Engineer Company (Support) (Redstone)
Written in 1991, revised and printed in 1998
Chapter 8
The code word Newsreel was assigned to this phase of the project. We were now Operation Hardtack JTF 7.2, Newsreel. There were to be two above ground nuclear tests, code names for the individual nuclear tests would be "Teak" and "Orange". Dates of the tests would be announced later.
June 6th, 1958, Leonard Wolf and I departed Washington D.C. aboard a United flight bound for San Francisco. I might add that we did not travel in military uniforms but were required to wear civilian clothing. Some of the group flew coach, some first class. When we arrived in San Francisco we were given passes to spend a few days as tourists.
We reported to Travis Air Force Base the 13th, stayed overnight in the barracks and departed late in the evening of the 14th bound for Hickum Field, Hawaii. The C-54 Air Force MATS plane arrived at Hickum Field 10 or 11 hours later.
Again we would have a few days to spend in Honolulu having an enjoyable time. In 1958 there were only 3 or 4 big hotels on the island, the tallest was 6 stories. Hawaii was truly a vacation paradise. (My wife and l vacationed there in 1974, there were many big hotels and the islands were becoming a tourist trap!
We departed Hickum Field on the 19th of June aboard a military flight to Johnston island, the flight took about 4 hours.
Johnston island looked like a postage stamp from the air. 3500 feet is not much airstrip Iength to land a 4 engine propeller driven aircraft !
Johnston island is about 1500 miles east and north of Eniwetok, about 700 miles south of Honolulu. The island is 3500 feet long and 200 feet wide. Most of the island is covered with airstrip, taxiway, and buildings. It was and is an emergency landing field as well as a base for operational navigation aids.
Our equipment had been shipped from the Marshall islands, offloaded and stored for us. We began the equipment processing on June 23rd. It was good to be back to work on our LOX plants. The 10 and 12 hours days, seven days a week work had begun. The equipment was set up next to the water alongside an unused wooden dock where we could look out on a small cove. Due to the size of Johnston island we could walk from our barracks to the plants in a couple of minutes and to the missile in a couple of more minutes. We finished processing equipment, checked everything a second time and were ready to go into operation on the 28th.
We took a day off prior to start up. Hochreiter and I borrowed a small aluminum boat and outboard motor and motored over to Sand island, a small island a mile or so away but still in the calmer waters of the atoll. Sand island, or as we called it "bird" island, is a small island about a half mile across each way. It was impacted with large quantities of various species of birds. It was difficult to walk without stepping on a bird or an egg. (More on "bird" island later). We fished over and back catching many red and black snapper that we later barbecued. A couple of sharks swam right up to the boat, went under and we could hear their fins scrape the bottom Of the boat. (I mentioned before that we couldn't fish in the Marshall islands due to contamination from previous atomic testing). He and I fished every chance we got, and catching was always good.
The military rules were very relaxed in the Marshalls as well as on Johnston island. Low quarter unshined shoes, or "clips clops ", cut off khaki pants, most of the time no shirt; except at mealtime. I decided to grow a beard. Well I have (to this day) the inability to grow a beard. About the best I can grow is a mustache and goatee, and I did. One day just before noon, a shiny Aero Commander airplane, with "U S Army" on the tail, landed and taxied to the tie down. I watched, and then walked towards the mess hall for lunch. As I approached the door, a spit shined officer was approaching me head on. He was regulation to the "T". I did salute, as sloppy as it was. However I made a mistake in doing so. He then knew I was a soldier. He walked up to me, face to face and asked "what outfit I was in, and who my company commander was". I told him, but added that I worked nights and my company commander hadn't seen me for several days (a lie). in no missed words, he said "you will shave that off your face and dress accordingly before going to the mess hall " ! Yes sir! ! it was General Maderis the Commanding General of the USABMA.
Early one morning there was a rumor that spread like fire " a plane was in trouble and would have to land at Johnston" and "was loaded with women"! Sure enough, in about an hour a plane load of WACS headed east landed in a MATS plane. The plane was quickly repaired, but not before we spruced up and visited with the "endangered species".
The LOX plant was started on June 30th to begin the cool down process. After about 36 hours we balanced the plant temperature and were producing 99.95% pure LOX. We then began the transfer of LOX from the plant in storage trailers. We produced LOX until the 29th day of July; at that time we placed the plant into full shutdown.
The countdown had begun for the Jupiter C missile firing. We started cooling down and loading the missile with LOX.
On the morning Or July 31st, most of our group was evacuated from the island aboard LSl's (landing ship infantry) and LSM's (medium). After a couple of hours on the open sea we came along side the USS Boxer, a WWII aircraft carrier. The sea was rough as we came along side and transferred, from the LSM to the USS Boxer, in an open cage that was hoisted top side by a crane mounted on the carrier.
I had never been on board a carrier before so I took a self-guided tour. The only aircraft aboard were a couple of Korea era helicopters that were used in the Hardtack operation.
The USS Boxer was anchored about 50 80 miles northeast of Johnston island as we awaited the test firing of the missile and nuclear warhead. Our select group of men had the pleasure to spend a few minutes with Dr. Von Braun, our chief rocket scientist. I was surprised that he remembered meeting Bill Schutte and me at Cape Canaveral the year before.
As the final countdown approached we were standing on the carrier deck of the ship. We were issued goggles with dark lenses that would form fit our faces. Instructions were broadcast over the public address system on the procedure for the next few hours.
We "shot the bull" and stood around as we waited. Dressed in our khaki dress uniforms it was quite warm that night. I had removed my Army cap and tucked it into my belt, unbuttoned the cuff of my long sleeve shirt folding the cults under and into the shirt sleeves. A few minutes before liftoff it was announced to put the dark goggles on, then face with our backs to Johnston island. The final countdown was announced over the loudspeaker; 30 seconds, 20, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5. 4, 3, 2, blastoff! Perfect liftoff!
On July 31st,1958 at 2350 hour (11:30 PM) 252,000 feet in the atmosphere the "TEAK" (code name) nuclear warhead was detonated. (This nuclear detonation, along with the one that would follow in a couple of weeks was the largest nuclear explosions the world has had before or since.) In a matter of seconds we turned to face the blast. As dark as the lens of the goggles were, it was as if I was looking at the sun with no dark goggles at all. The shock wave hit us, then heat that was overwhelming; as if I was lighting a gas stove and it exploded. My hair was crewcut short; the heat of the blast singed the tips of the hair on my head, eyebrows, and exposed arms where I had my shirt sleeves turned up. My face felt flushed as if too long a day in the summer sun. The metal of the ship began to pop and crack as metal does when it has been heated and then cooled.
A moment or so after detonation, the ships Captain gave the signal that we could remove our goggles. It was almost midnight with a dark Pacific night, yet the sky was as bright as if it were midday. I looked through squinted eyes to the heavens and could see the burning "nuclear mushroom". In all areas of the night sky burning donuts or rings of fire were burning; one and then another and another. The "donuts would appear, burn intensely then fade out. Over and over this was repeated for what seemed like a long time but was minutes. It was downright scary. I was worried that we had done the wrong thing by this nuclear blast and that the atmosphere might be consumed. A civilian scientist was standing near by and I asked of him when will this burning stop"? He replied, "I don't know ! ! Now I was very worried. The "mushroom" from the blast began to settle down and the rings of fire all became dim and faded away.
Quote from the Honolulu newspaper,
"this is the way the world ends'
this is the way the world ends,
this is the way the world ends.... "
There would not have been time to finish T.S. Elliot's poem. For a part of a second in the middle of the night there was a sunrise (at midnight in the southwest.
I was later to read in a declassified government document that the detonation spread a layer of fission debris in the upper atmosphere that destroyed the ability on normally ionized layers to bend radio waves back to earth thus cutting transpacific radio frequency communications. This blackout lasted 9 hours in Australia and 2 hours in Hawaii."
A quote from the Honolulu newspaper that day: "Brilliant light firm the Johnston Island nuclear explosion awoke John Barkhorn at his Diamond Head Road home. I Thought at once it must be a nuclear explosion. I stepped out on the lanai and saw what must have been the reflection of the fireball. It turned from light yellow to dark yellow and from orange to red. The red spread in a semi circular manner until it seemed to engulf a large part of the horizon. A cloud rose in the center of the circle. It was quite large and clearly visible. It remained visible for a half hour: It was impossible to tell the distance. It looked much closer than the 700 miles to Johnston Island. Did Barkhorn think the explosion might be other than a test? " I think everyone must have had that thought pass through his mind. "
When the glowing in the sky disappeared we went below deck; I couldn't sleep. At daylight we had a light breakfast then a few of us boarded an LSI that ferried us back to Johnston Island.
An elaborate water sprinkler-deluge system had been erected on Sand (bird) island that had huge water pumps driven by diesel engines. The engine and pumps were started remotely a few minutes prior to the detonation so that thousands and thousands of native birds would be soaked with sea water, thus preventing most of them from attempting to fly when startled by the extremely bright light, the shock wave, and heat.
After offloading from the LSI we were given orders and instructions that were to be carried out immediately; each man gather 2930 burlap bags and tie wire, then break into groups of 2 men, get into small aluminum boats with outboard motors, and motor around the atoll to pick up all the birds that did not survive the nuclear blast, stuff them in the burlap bags until full, then wire the end of the bag closed and sink the bag to the ocean floor. ( Frankly, as the hair on my body was singed from the blast, it had really burnt the birds feathers). The watering system was reasonably effective. However we did gather about a thousand or so maimed, floundering, or dead birds. All of the clean-up gathering of the birds was done before the visiting elected Congressmen, and appointed public officials returned to Johnston island.
From the Honolulu newspaper. "There has been criticism of the fact that the public was not alerted to the test nor prepared for the shock of seeing the flash. " " admiral Stump; advised me that no prior announcement concerning the test could be made and that all statements must issue from the Atomic Energy Commission." " Apparently additional tests may be expected off Johnston island. The Johnston island test of a missile with nuclear warhead was fired at 12:30 a m. (11:30 p.m.). Although the test site is 713 nautical miles southwest of Hawaii, thousands saw the flash and the rings of light which moved slowly upward into the atmosphere.
On August 2nd we re-started our LOX plant and followed the start procedures to manufacture LOX until August 11th. Early on the morning of the second test, with the countdown well in progress for the second firing, we departed Johnston island and ferried to and boarded the USS Boxer for the second time in two weeks.
The second Jupiter-C or Redstone launch was at 2327 hours (11:27 P.M.) on August 12,1958. At 2330 hour the "ORANGE" (code name) nuclear warhead was detonated. Although we were prepared mentally it was still overwhelming. The nuclear detonation effects of that night were very similar to the events of July 31st.
The next morning we ferried by LSI from the USS Boxer to Johnston island. Again we picked up and sank the dead birds.
On August 13th,1958 we purged our LOX plant then shut it down. The next few days were spent preparing our equipment for shipment back to the states. By now we were "bone tired", and much in need of time off and a good rest.
On the 23rd we left Johnston island aboard an Air Force MATS flight bound for Hickum Field. We spent a day in Honolulu, then boarded a MATS plane bound for Travis Air Force Base, California
Chapter 4
Thomas J. (Jerry) Hanlon
Email: Hanlon937@aol.com
Keith Whittle
March 5, 2001
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