Operation Ivy
US Atomic Veterans
Bernard Hausch
Bernard Hausch sent email about his duty at Operation Ivy.
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2000
Subject: Re: Atomic Veteran (Operation Ivy)
From: BERNARD J HAUSCH bender26@juno.com
Hi Keith,
In 1951 I was assigned as a boiler tender aboard the USS OAKHILL LSD7.
The ship was temporarily attached to the Pacific fleet. We were told we
would be gone for an extended period of time but were not told where we
were going or what the reason for the journey was. When we arrived at
Enewetok we were told where we were and very briefly that we were there
for nuclear testing. We stayed at anchor for nine months.
On the morning
of 1 November 1952 we were summoned to one of the outside decks. We were
briefed to take the following action at the signal. Cover our faces with
our arms, face a bulkhead and lean into it. We had gotten under way and
were maybe 20 miles from the test site at Elugelab in the northern
section of Enewetok Atoll. When directed we covered our faces and faced
the bulkhead. There was a sense of tremendous heat on our backs. Enough
where if you believed in a god you prayed to him. It was quite an
awakening. After the initial flash we were told we could uncover our
faces. The mushroom was forming and you could see debris going into the
air. The blast of air came next, it was impressive to say the least. The
mushroom grew to more than three miles across.
We were provided no
protective equipment. None of the personal I was with wore dosimeters or
film badges. There were some civilian personel with radiation meters.
When we returned to the area of the blast the portion of the atoll was
totally gone. From what I have read since I discovered the cloud was
twenty seven miles high and the stem was eight miles across. A crater was
formed in the sea where the atoll was. The crater was two hundred feet
deep. The size of the bomb was put at 10.4 megatons. The name given to
the first blast was "MIKE".
A second blast was performed at a later date.
During that blast named "King" I was on watch in the boiler room. The
boiler rooms on the OAKHILL were pressurized. When the blast went off the
fires from the boiler came out of the boiler into the boiler room. I
really would never like to see another.
Let me know if you need more.
Bernard Hausch
Email:bender26@juno.com
Keith Whittle
March 15, 2000
[ Operation Ivy ]