Pacific Proving Grounds 1952 Ignition of the first megaton thermonuclear device. An atom bomb explodes in a type of super cold liquid hydrogen. The explosion is more powerful than all the allied bombs dropped on WWII Europe. Fireball of the largest fission weapon ever built, more than 30 times as large as the weapons used against Japan. The King device dropped from an Air Force B-36, detonates 1500 feet above the island of Runit. November 1, 1952, Operation Ivy, at Eniwetok Atoll, mankind enters the thermonuclear age with the detonation of the scientific device code named Mike. According to the DNA Fact Sheet, Joint Task Force (JTF) 132 included a total of 11,650 personnel, 9,350 were military and 2300 civilian. The civilian and over 6,600 of the military operated from Eniwetok Atoll and task force ships. Most of the remaining military were Air Force personnel who were based at Kwajalein 360 nmi southeast of Eniwetok. During the operation a single-place airplane used in air sampling was lost at sea with it's pilot. This led to the radiation exposure of 10 to 17 r for the 7 man aircrew who flew to assist the pilot. This crew crossed a zone of fallout in order to reach the area of the downed plane. A crew of twelve in a second aircraft were overexposed when caught in fallout while on a photographic mission during the Mike shot. JTF ships, Parry and Eniwetok islands all received fallout from the detonations of Mike and King shots. Of the 11,650 personnel, only 408 were said to have received no radiation during the operation. Declassified Ivy Documents Pictures of Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Service held on April 4th, 2002 for Captain Jimmy Robinson a USAF F-84 jet pilot who died in a crash during the air sampling mission of the Operation Ivy Mike detonation in 1952. United States Atomic Veterans Abelardo Marquez served aboard the USS Fletcher DDE 445. Frank Vasquez was stationed on the USS Fletcher DDE 445. Lucas Montoya was stationed on the USS Yuma ATF-94. Roger Loeffler was a Cryptographer in the Signal Detachment. James Harmon was in the refueling section Kwajalein NAS. Nicholas Lauletta was a member of the Boat Pool attached to the USS Oak Hill LSD 7 during Operation Ivy, has passed away. Zeke Beranek served as a Radio Operator on the U.S.E. Elkhorn AOG-7. Tom Bair served on the USS Curtiss at Operations Ivy and Castle. James Mills was a mess cook on the USS Radford DDE 446 Vincent Deitchman was a pilot and Maintenance Officer for Patrol Squadron 2. Donald Frank Stout was an RM3 aboard the U.S.S. Estes AGC12. Donald Milligan was an ME 3 on board the USS Radford DDE 446 Morgan Laird was stationed on Kwajalein with MATS VR8. Bob McCurley was an Ensign on the USS Fletcher DDE-445 George Dillard was a Yeoman on the USS Fletcher DDE-445 Dave Purdy was assigned to the USAF Admin office at Eniwetok passed away on Feburary 19th 2004. Roy Romo was an SK-3 aboard the USS Lipan ATF-85. Harry Rine served as a Disbursing Clerk 3/C on the USS Curtiss. Robert L. Blackburn was a liaison pilot in the 4931st Test Support Squadron. Photos Bill Doherty served with the Signal Detachment 7126 on Eniwetok. Dick Condy served with the Navy Patrol Squadron Two VP-2. Joe Guido served aboard the USS Oakhill LSD-7 as an electrician. Dick Whalen served as a Radioman on the USS Oakhill LSD-7 Ed Gettler served in the E division aboard the USS Curtiss AV4 Richard Harley was an AB3 onboard the USS Rendova. Robert Schuster was gunnery officer on the USS O'Bannon DDE-450. Charles Holeman was aboard the USS Curtiss AV4. Gilbert Lee was an ET3 aboard the USS Curtiss AV4. Lloyd Bobrow served in the military pay section of the Joint Finance Office. Robert Larson was with the 8607th Communications Security Detachment Gibson Stoup was a GM3 while aboard the USS Curtiss AV4. Bernard Hausch served aboard the USS Oakhill LSD 7 Clem Cobarruvias served aboard the USS Estes at Operation Ivy. Ruben Martinez was with the 4th Transportation Truck Co.at Greenhouse, Buster/Jangle and Operation Ivy. Richard Jensen was with the 511th Port Co. at Operation Ivy. Bill Whitmore was in the Army at Operation Ivy. Paul Hinchcliffe was in the Boat Pool at Operation Ivy. Clarence Maudlin was an ENFN on the USS Lipan at Operation Ivy. Jack Holdtwick was the commanding officer of the USS Estes at Operation Ivy. Don Welch who was onboard the Lipan ATF-85 passed away on January 28th 2004. Jim Walraven sent 4 pictures and served with the 509th Periodic Maintenance Squadron at Operation Ivy. Arthur S. (Sam), Burford a mechanic with the US Army 4th Transportation Truck Company which participated in Operations Greenhouse, Ivy and Buster/Jangle John C. Ekstadt was an MM3 stationed aboard the USS Curtiss during Operations Ivy and Castle. Richard (Rick) D. Gillen was aboard the USS Leo, AKA 60 during Operation Ivy. Harold Wainscott publishes The Wetokian, a newsletter and website which contains many excellent stories about the military duties and lives of the US Air Force Weathermen stationed at Eniwetok during the atomic tests. Paul Sulky sent email about his unit in the Weather Detachment stationed on Eniwetok Island during Operation Ivy. John R. (Jack) Hensley was 3rd Mate on the M.S.T.S. General Collins at Operation Ivy Nils Pearson (Ohio) was on duty aboard the USS Lipan during Operation Ivy Atomic Veterans Photo Album: Operation Ivy [ Home Page || What's New || Email || Family Mail Call || Notes and Hints ] [ Atomic Veterans, Atomic Test Series and Dates ] [Videos ] Information about the National Association of Atomic Veterans [ The NAAV Story || NAAV Medical Data Base Information ] Atomic Veterans History Project ©1997-2007 For use of the material found on this web site, please send us an email with your request.