Operation Redwing
US Atomic Veterans
John W. Smith
John Smith sent email about his duty on the USS Silverstein DE-534. He also included a Plan for the Day during a shot day on Operation Redwing.
From: JOHNTERRY@aol.com
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000
Subject: Operation Rewing
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Keith,
| Eight days after being married to my wife, Terry, I left on the
four-month cruise. The USS Silverstein DE-534 departed Pearl Harbor on April
Fools' Day, April 1, 1956. The cruise to Eniwetok and Bikini, in the
Marshall Islands chain, was when the Silverstein was part of a flotilla of
ships involved in a series of 17 tests of A-bomb and H-bomb devices, under
the code name of REDWING. |
Photo from John Smith
|
I was an Electrician Third Class (EM3), when we were on that cruise. I left
the Navy after 5 years as an EM1 (E-6).
These devices were exploded over a 3½ month
period, in the area of the islands of Bikini and Eniwetok. This was not a
nice honeymoon!
Each test was detonated at about 6:00 A.M., while the South Pacific was
still dark and slightly chilly. If a crew member was not able to use the
special dark glasses for witnessing a test, he had to kneel away from the
blast and hide his eyes in the crook of his jacketed elbow. As the tests
progressed, everyone was eventually allowed to use the dark glasses to watch
a test. There were not enough glasses on the ship for everyone to use at
each test.
After a bomb was detonated, it would be a short time before everyone
would be allowed to turn and observe the extremely bright light and to watch
the formation of the famous, or infamous, mushroom cloud that accompanied
each test. At that time, the light was bright enough to be uncomfortable to
the unprotected eyes. There were so many colors boiling in the mushroom
cloud.
After a period of time, the heat wave would arrive at the ship. The heat
wave was extremely uncomfortable for a short time, because it gave a person
the sensation of not being able to breathe. Even though a person could gasp
for breath, it seemed that there was not enough air getting to the lungs.
Each test I intended to time the length of the heat wave, but the sense of
excitement and anxiety always caused the timing to be forgotten. So,
throughout the seventeen tests, the duration of the heat wave was never
timed. Following the heat wave, the sound wave would come roaring like
thunder in the distance, then roaring like heavy thunder as the noise rolled
over the ship, to thunder disappearing in the distance as it passed on. The
intense light, the heat wave and the sound wave were the three distinct
phases of the original blast that affected the crew.
After the mushroom cloud rose to its maximum height and started to
dissipate, the real work of the Silverstein and her sister ship, USS McGinty
DE-365, would begin. The ships would perform a half circle each, combining
to a full circle, of atmosphere tests to determine how far from ground zero
the radiation traveled over the hours and how strong it was at any given
time. This was performed by reading the sensors mounted on each side of the
ship. This meant that the ship had to be in constant contact with the
radiation as the circle was drawn on charts.
Each morning while in the test area, the film badge (dosimeter) worn by
each crew member was inserted into a machine for recording of the accumulated
amount of radiation.
Over the next three days, the radiation strength and distance traveled in
the ocean currents would also be recorded as probes were lowered into the
water to differing depths to measure the radiation strength in the water at
any given location and depth. Scientists from the Scripts Institute of
Oceanography, were aboard the ship to assist in these tests.
This whole routine would be repeated for each of the 17 tests. The
nearest the ship was to any of the tests was slightly less than 12 miles,
when a bomb was dropped nearer to the ship than was originally planned, by a
B-52 bomber. The farthest the ship was from a blast was 38 miles. The
distance from the blasts was supposed to dependent upon the size of the test
shot.
John's name and Navy Service Number, 349-00-93, were provided to the
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ATOMIC VETERANS (NAAV), by the DEFENSE NUCLEAR AGENCY
(DNA). NAAV has accepted the responsibility of developing pertinent medical
data relating to the possible adverse health effects of veteran,s exposure to
radiation.
At the present time, John, nor any of his descendants have shown any
symptoms of medical problems that could be attributed to radiation exposure.
U.S.S. SILVERSTEIN (DE-534)
Fleet Post Office
San Francisco, California
NOT TO BE REMOVED OR MAILED FROM THE SHIP
PLAN OF THE DAY FOR
MONDAY
28 MAY 1956
MOVIE RIGGING: (E Div.)
BARBER SHOP: (S Div.)
STANDARD PLAN OF THE DAY AT SEA EXCEPT AS FOLLOWS:
- 0430 - Reveille. All hands - no late sleepers, all personnel must have film
- badges on.
- 0445 - Coffee in the mess hall.
- 0520 - Secure coffee line.
- 0530 - All hands to quarters. Commence NavRad and Monitor readings, compare equipment.
- 0545 - All hands face away from the blast.
- 0547 - Cover eyes with arm and keep covered. All hands are reminded the necessity of properly covering the eyes to preclude injury which may be permanent.
- 05-- - Shot time.
- H + 10 Seconds- All hands may turn around and observe fireball with uncovered eyes.
- H + 1 Minute - Shock wave arrive at the ship.
- 0605 - Secure from Quarters. Return to living compartments. Repair parties standby to secure gas tight envelope except ventilation and required access doors.
- 0700 - Breakfast. Wet down ship with wash down system. Continue to keep ship wet by intermittent use of wash down system.
- 0700 - 1000 All hands not on watch may hit the rack provided their compartments are clean.
- 0900 - Approximately - Commence Scripts Institute of Oceanography operations.
- 1000 - Commence ship's internal work. No outside work will be conducted
- until further notice. NO PAINTING will be conducted.
NOTE 1. It is expected that a very small amount of topside contamination
will be possible after this shot, therefore inside cleaning is to be
emphasized.
NOTE 2. The ship's quarterly Medical Inspection will be held after this
operation. This inspection is held to determine the cleanliness of the ship
in comparison with the rest of the ships of the force. In the last
inspection, we did very well. Let us strive to maintain this excellent
record and make it a continuing thing.
R. E. LAWRENCE
LT, USN
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
John Smith
Email: JOHNTERRY@aol.com
Keith Whittle
January 6, 2000
[ Operation Redwing ]