Hardtack 1958
US Atomic Veterans
Gerald E. Smith
Gerald E. Smith sent email about his duty at Operation Hardtack.
From: "Jo Ann & Jerry Smith" jjsmith@pcisys.net
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: Atomic Test
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001
I was aboard the USS Benner DDR 807 as a FTG 3. We tracked weather balloons every day with the Mk 37 System Gunnery Radar. My name is Gerald E. Smith and I was in charge of the Mk 5 TDS system aboard.
My GQ station was in the plotting room as elevation operator on the manual computer, MK 1A, also fired the guns in shore firing.
We would be standing in the morning chow line when the blast would go. You could see the sound wave approaching across the waters as a wide stretch of ripples. Then it would hit with a loud bang and the ship would rock way over and then it would be gone as if nothing had happened.
The cloud was as pretty a sight as you would ever see with its purple halo and climbing to the heavens.
We were on station for almost 90 days. It was the only place that we fought over having Shore Patrol duty so that we could get to eat on the Island there.
Gerald E. Smith
Colorado Springs, CO
Email: jjsmith@pcisys.net
--Keith Whittle
June 24, 2001
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