Operation Redwing
US Atomic Veterans
Marty Karrer
Marty Karrer sent email about his duty at Operation Redwing.
From: N111MK@cs.com
Date: Sun, 19 Dec 1999
Subject: Operation Redwing
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Recently found out about NAAV from my neighbor who was also on board the
USS James E. Kyes during the 1956 tests. Incidentally, the ship was named
for his father who died in the North Atlantic after his destroyer was
torpedoed by a U-Boat. He gave me a copy of the interview with Gerald Cetto
who, like me, had also been previously stationed on the USS Rochester,
CA-124.
His account of the tests and what we experienced was right on but
the part about the kid that jumped overboard was not quite correct. First of
all, the new boots that came aboard did it in Eniwetok, not in Hawaii 'cause
when we left the Bay area escorting the seaplane tender that was carrying the
"big" thermonuclear weapon we went straight to the PPG and did not stop
anywhere in between.
Secondly, the kid that jumped overboard came running
through the midships passage from port to starboard right in front of me and
went overboard as I watched. As far as I know, I was the first to yell Man
Overboard to the bridge. That fact is recorded in the ship's log for that
day. The rest is correct. We did a Williamson Turn immediately, got on the
reverse course, launched the motor whateboat, and recovered the kid just as
it was getting dark. Never did find out what happened to him. Incidentally,
my rate was FTA3 at that time.
One other item that Cetto forgot to mention about the Aerographer's Mates
that were aboard was that we had installed a weather rocket launcher on the
aft 5"/38 left hand barrel that was also used to find the winds aloft. The
rocket payload was chaff which we tracked from altitude using the main
battery director and the computer down below in main plot. The best part of
that was watching the launch.
Two of us also started a SCUBA club prior to
leaving Long Beach and I was able to get us a terrific discount on Aqua
Lungs, fins, masks, etc., from U.S. Divers in LA. During that trip to LA to
order the dive equipment I had the privilege of meeting Jacque Cousteau and
his wife and having lunch with them and the president of US Divers.
Only
problem was that the skipper was a little worried about us diving in the
lagoon at Eniwetok 'cause at that time no one knew about shark behavior
around divers. Also, the engineering officer was all grumpy about letting us
refill our tanks using the torpedo compressor because it was so hard to fire
up. Never did find out what the hell we were supposed to do if we ever
needed to fire any of our torpedoes!
Something else I just remembered. A
film crew from who knows where came aboard to film one of the rocket launches
in Cinerama no less. The movie was to be called "The Eighth Day" because it
took 8 tries for weather and winds aloft to be right before we could detonate
the thermonuclear shot which was code named Cherokee. I believe that one was
an air drop from a bomber based at Eniwetok. But, as we all know, that movie
was never released for public view.
I'm going to take a look at the main web site next and see what sort of neat
stuff is there. Might even find some more of the old gang from the Kyes.
Happy Holidays,
Marty Karrer
Email:N111MK@cs.com
Keith Whittle
Ju;y 21, 2001
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