Operation Hardtack 1
1958
US Atomic Veterans
Richard Wixon
Richard Wixon sent email about his duty at Operation Hardtack.
From: "Richard Wixon" goldcoastprod@email.msn.com
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: Operation Hardtack, Eniwetok
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999
Sirs:
I was present at the 1958 Hardtack as a seaman on the USS Grasp ARS
38. I personally worked on the Wahoo and Umbrella shots. I have had
numerous health problems sence, such as multiple melanoma and skin
conditions. I have received a 10 present service connected disability which
gives me $96 per month. It took 14 years for the VA to accept my claim. We
were not told of the dangers envolved or the risk to our health in later
years, we we not asked to volunteer for this duty and were told to never
speak about what we did there. We were used as guinea pigs to see what would
happen from the exposure we received, I hope they know now.
Richard Wixon
Email: goldcoastprod@email.msn.com
As I told you I served on the USS Grasp ARS 24 during and after Hardtack.
We towed the EC II ( a world war II liberty ship named the "Michal C.Moran")
from Pearl to Eniwetok. The ship was loaded with stainless steel cable
spools from Germany. As I recall it took almost 3 weeks to complete the
trip.
I visited the EC II many times and worked as seaman on a perminate
work party during my time at Eniwetok. I was detached most days from the
Grasp to work on mooring barges outside the lagoon for the Wahoo shot. 18
hour days were common and the work was hard. We handled cable attached to
clumps of iron and chain that was used as anchors to position the barges.
The other ships would drop the clumps and bring us the cable end which we
then spooled on winches and postioned the barges. The barges contained
monitoring equiptment for the shot. I remember that we would ware out a pair
of gloves every other day handling that cable. The Grasp reciveved a award
for the deepest mooring in ever made for this, I still have a copy of the
award somewhere.
We picked up the weapon form the Army at a distant atoll and
placed or attached it to a buoy outside the lagoon. When the shot went off
we were about 2-3 miles from the blast. The blast lifted the Grasp up with a
great force and all the general quarters alarms went off. Very soon after we
moved into ground zero and retrevied what the Scientest called " Corpsuals "
they were fiberglass bouys with antanas on top. We were amazed to see cooked
fish floating as we got close to the target area retieving the corpsuals.
The EC II survived and we towed it back to the lagoon.
Richard Wixon
Email: goldcoastprod@email.msn.com
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