USS Tombigbee (AOG-11) was a Patapsco -class gasoline tanker in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1972. She was then sold to Greece , where she served as Ariadni (A414) until 2003.
105-672: Tombigbee , named after the Tombigbee River , was laid down on 23 October 1942 at Savage, Minnesota , by Cargill, Inc., launched on 18 November 1943, sponsored by Mrs. F. R. Stoltz, and commissioned on 13 July 1944 at New Orleans , Louisiana. Following shakedown , Tombigbee departed Galveston, Texas , on 13 August, bound for the West Coast of the United States . She transited the Panama Canal en route, reached San Diego , California on
210-498: A large number of targets widely dispersed over a large area. A quarter century earlier, in 1921, the Navy had suffered a public relations disaster when General Billy Mitchell 's bombers sank every target ship the Navy provided for the Project B ship-versus-bomb tests. The Strauss test would be designed to demonstrate ship survivability . In August 1945, Senator Brien McMahon , who within
315-407: A mark where the 27,000-ton battleship USS Arkansas was. As with Able , any ships that remained afloat within 1,000 yards (900 m) of the detonation were seriously damaged, but this time the damage came from below, from water pressure rather than air pressure. The greatest difference between the two shots was the radioactive contamination of all the target ships by Baker . Regardless of
420-462: A port visit to Lyttelton from 5–9 January 1963, Tombigbee pressed on for the colder climes of McMurdo Sound and conducted operations in support of "Deep Freeze" from 18–22 January before returning – via Nelson, New Zealand and Sydney, Australia – to Pearl Harbor. After local operations out of Pearl, the tanker was deployed to the Marshalls for local petroleum-carrying operations through
525-429: A rapidly expanding hot gas bubble that pushed against the water, generating a supersonic hydraulic shock wave which crushed the hulls of nearby ships as it spread out. Eventually it slowed to the speed of sound in water, which is one mile per second (1,600 m/s), five times faster than that of sound in air. On the surface, the shock wave was visible as the leading edge of a rapidly expanding ring of dark water, called
630-426: A safe distance from the detonations. The drones could fly into radiation environments, such as Able's mushroom cloud , which would have been lethal to crew members. All the land-based detonation-sequence photographs were taken by remote control from tall towers erected on several islands of the atoll. In all, Bikini cameras took 50,000 still pictures and 1,500,000 feet (460,000 m) of motion picture film. One of
735-541: A year would write the Atomic Energy Act and organize and chair the Congressional Joint Committee on Atomic Energy , made the first public proposal for such a test, but one designed to demonstrate the vulnerability rather than survivability of ships. He proposed dropping an atomic bomb on captured Japanese ships and suggested, "The resulting explosion should prove to us just how effective the atomic bomb
840-628: Is joined from the northeast by the Black Warrior River . South of Demopolis it flows generally south across southwestern Alabama (forming Sumter and Choctaw counties' borders with Marengo County ). Past Jackson it joins the Alabama River from the north on the Mobile - Baldwin county line, approximately 30 mi (50 km) north of Mobile ; this confluence forms the Mobile River . After
945-554: Is otherwise notable for its later involvement in the 1993 Big Bayou Canot train wreck . Pleasure boats, cruising America's Great Loop , use the waterway each year in the fall. The river is closely associated with several steamboat disasters, including the Eliza Battle and James T. Staples . The "Tombigbee River Waltz" or the singing song "Tombigbee River" are beloved old time waltzes performed by fiddlers including James Bryan, Kenny Jackson, Jay Ungar and Eric Hatling. The song
1050-761: Is when used against the giant naval ships." On September 19, the Chief of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), General of the Army Henry H. Arnold , asked the Navy to set aside 10 of the 38 captured Japanese ships for use in the test proposed by McMahon. Meanwhile, the Navy proceeded with its own plan, which was revealed at a press conference on October 27 by the Commander in Chief, United States Fleet , Fleet Admiral Ernest King . It involved between 80 and 100 target ships, most of them surplus U.S. ships. As
1155-474: The Baker shot. Fire caused serious damage to ship #10, the aircraft carrier Saratoga , more than 1 mile (1.6 km) from the blast. For test purposes, all the ships carried sample amounts of fuel and ordnance, plus airplanes. Most warships carried a seaplane on deck which could be lowered into the water by crane, but Saratoga carried several airplanes with highly volatile aviation fuel , both on deck and in
SECTION 10
#17328631360841260-430: The Baker test proceeded on schedule. 57 guinea pigs, 109 mice, 146 pigs, 176 goats, and 3,030 white rats had been placed on 22 target ships in stations normally occupied by people. 35% of these animals died or were euthanised in the three months following the explosion: 10% were killed by the air blast, 15% were killed by radiation, and 10% were killed by the researchers as part of later study. The most famous survivor
1365-491: The Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Special Weapons, Vice Admiral William H. P. Blandy , whom Parsons proposed for the role. This recommendation was accepted, and on January 11, 1946, President Harry S. Truman appointed Blandy as head of Army/Navy Joint Task Force One (JTF-1), which was created to conduct the tests. Parsons became Deputy Task Force Commander for Technical Direction. USAAF Major General William E. Kepner
1470-772: The Gulf of Mexico . The Tombigbee watershed encompasses much of the rural coastal plain of western Alabama and northeastern Mississippi, flowing generally southward. The river provides one of the principal routes of commercial navigation in the southern United States, as it is navigable along much of its length through locks and connected in its upper reaches to the Tennessee River via the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway . The name "Tombigbee" comes from Choctaw /itumbi ikbi/ , meaning "box maker, coffin maker", from /itumbi/ , "box, coffin", and /ikbi/ , "maker". The river formed
1575-405: The I Corps tactical zone from 4 October to 2 December, from 29 December 1967 to 26 January 1968, and from 25 February to 19 March. Availability at Subic Bay punctuated her tours in the combat zone. Following a return to Pearl Harbor for overhaul and independent ship exercises, Tombigbee was redeployed to WestPac. She arrived at Da Nang on 23 November for further operations in I Corps, supporting
1680-522: The Manhattan Project which built the bombs, did not get the job. The Joint Chiefs of Staff decided that because the Navy was contributing the most men and materiel , the test should be headed by a naval officer. Commodore William S. "Deak" Parsons was a naval officer who had worked on the Manhattan Project and participated in the bombing of Hiroshima . He had been promoted to assistant to
1785-478: The Manhattan Project , which had developed nuclear weapons during World War II . A fleet of 95 target ships was assembled in Bikini Lagoon and hit with two detonations of Fat Man plutonium implosion-type nuclear weapons of the kind dropped on Nagasaki in 1945, each with a yield of 23 kilotons of TNT (96 TJ ). The first test was Able . The bomb was named Gilda after Rita Hayworth 's character in
1890-623: The Marshall Islands , arrived by seaplane from Kwajalein . Referring to Biblical stories which they had learned from Protestant missionaries, he compared them to "the children of Israel whom the Lord saved from their enemy and led into the Promised Land." He also claimed it was "for the good of mankind and to end all world wars." There was no signed agreement, but he reported by cable "their local chieftain , referred to as King Juda, arose and said that
1995-550: The National Cancer Institute . Amphibious target ships were beached on Bikini Island. A support fleet of more than 150 ships provided quarters, experimental stations, and workshops for most of the 42,000 men (more than 37,000 of whom were Navy personnel) and the 37 female nurses. Additional personnel were located on nearby atolls such as Eniwetok and Kwajalein. Navy personnel were allowed to extend their service obligation for one year if they wanted to participate in
2100-561: The Philippines . Tombigbee remained off Okinawa through the end of the war, and her historian noted that "the entire harbor went wild" when news arrived that Japan had accepted unconditional surrender terms. The tanker departed the Ryūkyūs on 21 September, bound for Japanese waters, and, two days later, arrived at Sasebo to participate in occupation operations. She twice returned to Okinawa for reloading. By November, Army and Navy doctors judged
2205-960: The Vietnam War : Vietnamese Counteroffensive, Vietnamese Counteroffensive – Phase II, Vietnamese Counteroffensive – Phase III, Tet Counteroffensive, Vietnamese Counteroffensive – Phase VI, Tet69/Counteroffensive, Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970, Sanctuary Counteroffensive, Consolidation I Her U.S. crew was eligible for the following medals: China Service Medal (extended), American Campaign Medal , Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal (2), World War II Victory Medal , Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp), National Defense Service Medal (2), Korean Service Medal , Antarctica Service Medal , Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (3-Vietnam), Vietnam Service Medal (9), Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (6), United Nations Service Medal , Vietnam Campaign Medal , Korean War Service Medal (retroactive) [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from
SECTION 20
#17328631360842310-407: The base surge ) and outside the 1000-yard circle, escaped serious contamination and hull damage and was successfully decontaminated, repaired, and briefly returned to service. The Baker shot produced so many unusual phenomena that a conference was held two months later to standardize nomenclature and define new terms for use in descriptions and analysis. The underwater fireball took the form of
2415-509: The hangars below. The fire was extinguished, and Saratoga was kept afloat for use in the Baker shot. As with Little Boy (Hiroshima) and Fat Man (Nagasaki), the Crossroads Able shot was an air burst . These were purposely detonated high enough in the air to prevent surface materials from being drawn into the fireball. The height-of-burst for the Trinity test was 100 feet (30 m);
2520-507: The public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships . The entry can be found here . Tombigbee River The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River , approximately 200 mi (325 km) long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama . Together with the Alabama , it merges to form the short Mobile River before the latter empties into Mobile Bay on
2625-412: The stratosphere and become part of the global, rather than the local, environment. Air bursts were officially described as "self-cleansing." There was no significant local fallout from Able . There was an intense transitory burst of fireball radiation lasting a few seconds. Many of the closer ships received doses of neutron and gamma radiation that could have been lethal to anyone on the ship, but
2730-418: The "slick" for its resemblance to an oil slick. Close behind the slick was a visually more dramatic but less destructive whitening of the water surface called the "crack". When the gas bubble's diameter equaled the water depth, 180 feet (55 m), it hit the sea floor and the sea surface simultaneously. At the bottom, it created a shallow crater 30 feet (9 m) deep and 2,000 feet (610 m) wide. At
2835-608: The 1946 film Gilda and was dropped from the B-29 Superfortress Dave's Dream of the 509th Bombardment Group on July 1, 1946. It detonated 520 feet (158 m) above the target fleet and caused less than the expected amount of ship damage because it missed its aim point by 2,130 feet (649 m). The second test was Baker . The bomb was known as Helen of Bikini and was detonated 90 feet (27 m) underwater on July 25, 1946. Radioactive sea spray caused extensive contamination. A third deep-water test named Charlie
2940-411: The 1946 movie, Gilda . The Baker bomb was Helen of Bikini. This femme-fatale theme for nuclear weapons, combining seduction and destruction, is epitomized by the use in all languages, starting in 1946, of " bikini " as the name for a woman's two-piece bathing suit . The United States' test series summary table is here: United States' nuclear testing series . At 09:00 on July 1, 1946, Gilda
3045-467: The 28th, pushed on for the western Pacific, and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 4 September, where she paused briefly before proceeding on to Eniwetok , in the Marshalls , joining Service Squadron 10. Her tanks filled with fresh water instead of the oil for which she was designed, Tombigbee began replenishing the tanks of the ships of the fleet and worked out of Guam and Ulithi , continuing this duty for
3150-866: The AEC Nuclear weapons tests. The tanker conducted logistic support operations in the Pacific through 1964, taking part in various fleet operations. During the period from 1953 to 1964, the ship participated in Operation Rocky Shoals (22 October to 22 December 1958), Operation Twin Peaks (13–31 May 1959), Operation Blue Star (26 February to 6 April 1960), Operation Long Haul and Operation Pack Mule (8 September to 20 October 1960), Operation Green Light (10 May to 28 June 1961), and Operation Silver Sword (27 October to 6 November 1961), and her areas of operation ranged from Maui , Hawaii , to Yokosuka, Japan . She deployed to
3255-466: The Army and the Navy maneuvered for control of the tests, Assistant Secretary of War Howard C. Peterson observed, "To the public, the test looms as one in which the future of the Navy is at stake ... if the Navy withstands [the tests] better than the public imagines it will, in the public mind the Navy will have 'won. ' " The Army's candidate to direct the tests, Major General Leslie Groves , head of
USS Tombigbee - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-514: The Bikini Lagoon as the site for the two 1946 detonations, Able and Baker . The deep underwater test, Charlie , scheduled for early 1947, would take place in the ocean west of Bikini. Of the possible places given serious consideration, including Ecuador's Galápagos Islands , Bikini offered the most remote location with a large protected anchorage, suitable but not ideal weather, and a small, easily moved population. It had come under exclusive United States control on January 15, when Truman declared
3465-494: The Cahaba's starboard side against the bridge in high waters. The force was so great that it pulled the boat downward, tilting it beneath the bridge, and fully submerging it in the river. The underwater pressure blew out a port-side window in the pilot house, which began filling with water, while the captain remained at the helm. Soon the tugboat emerged from beneath the other side of the bridge and righted itself, with water pouring from
3570-585: The Far East in the spring of 1962, conducting logistic support operations out of Subic Bay , Philippines, from 16 May to 8 June before proceeding to Yokosuka and technical availability. For the remainder of the year, the ship conducted local operations out of Pearl Harbor before departing the Hawaiian area on 18 December for Port Lyttelton, New Zealand , and participation in Operation Deep Freeze 1963 . Following
3675-527: The JTF-1 replied that "it is regretted that such ships as the USS ; New York cannot be spared." A series of three tests was recommended to study the effects of nuclear weapons on ships, equipment, and materiel. The test site had to be in territory controlled by the United States. The inhabitants would have to be evacuated, so it was best if it was uninhabited, or nearly so, and at least 300 miles (500 km) from
3780-587: The Japanese cruiser Sakawa , the battleship Nagato , and the German cruiser Prinz Eugen . The ships carried sample amounts of fuel and ammunition, plus scientific instruments to measure air pressure , ship movement, and radiation . The live animals on some of the target ships were supplied by the support ship USS Burleson , which brought 200 pigs, 60 guinea pigs, 204 goats, 5,000 rats, 200 mice, and grains containing insects to be studied for genetic effects by
3885-673: The Native Americans and enable development by European Americans. The United States forced the Chickasaw west of the Mississippi to Indian Territory , extinguishing most of their claims to land in the Southeast. The Tombigbee River has five lock and dams along its length. Lock & Dams are listed from north to south; the river mile indicates the distance from the mouth of the Mobile River at Mobile Bay . Tributaries that empty directly into
3990-529: The Soviet Union's position against acceptance of the Acheson–Lilienthal Plan , which discussed possible methods for the international control of nuclear weapons and the avoidance of future nuclear warfare. At a March 22 cabinet meeting he said, "from the standpoint of international relations it would be very helpful if the test could be postponed or never held at all." He prevailed on Truman to postpone
4095-582: The Tombigbee River, approximately 5.2 miles from downtown Columbus. Approximately 10 mi (15 km) north of Gainesville, it is joined from the north by the Sipsey River . At Gainesville, it is joined from the west by the Noxubee River . The Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge is along the river in southwestern Alabama, approximately 20 mi (30 km) northwest of Jackson. The upper reaches of
4200-581: The Tombigbee formed the homeland of the formidable Chickasaw . The French official Bienville used the Tombigbee to travel with his forces in his 1736 campaign against the Chickasaw. In the nineteenth century, they were considered one of the Five Civilized Tribes of the Southeast, as they adopted some European-American ways. But Congress passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830, in order to remove
4305-547: The Tombigbee: On April 28, 1979, a tugboat named M/V Cahaba was on the Tombigbee near Demopolis, Alabama trying to guide two coal barges under a flooded side-span of the old Rooster Bridge (removed years later), but the flood current was too strong. The tug and barges approached the drawbridge -section, which failed to re-open fast enough while the river was near flood stage (drawbridges must close and re-open to allow waiting traffic to cross). The fast currents pinned
USS Tombigbee - Misplaced Pages Continue
4410-605: The United States to be the sole trustee of all the Pacific islands captured from Japan during the war. The Navy had been studying test sites since October 1945 and was ready to announce its choice of Bikini soon after Truman's declaration. On February 6, the survey ship Sumner began blasting channels through the Bikini reef into the lagoon . The local residents were not told why. The 167 Bikini islanders first learned their fate four days later, on Sunday, February 10, when Navy Commodore Ben H. Wyatt, United States military governor of
4515-484: The Vietnamese counteroffensive operation. On 22 December, while engaged in these activities, she assisted LCU-1500 which encountered difficulties and was in danger of being swept ashore and foundering in heavy surf. Continuing under the operational command of Naval Support Activity, Danang , Tombigbee carried her support mission of supplying petroleum products for air and ground forces engaged in combat in I Corps through
4620-452: The aim point for Able and was painted orange, with white gun barrels and gunwales , to make her stand out in the central cluster of target ships. There were eight ships within 400 yards (366 m) of it. Had the bomb exploded over the Nevada as planned, at least nine ships, including two battleships and an aircraft carrier, likely would have sunk. The actual detonation point, west-northwest of
4725-511: The air. The submarine USS Skipjack was the only sunken ship successfully raised at Bikini. She was towed to California and sunk again, as a target ship off the coast, two years later. Three other ships, all in sinking condition, were towed ashore at Bikini and beached: attack transport USS Fallon , ship #25; destroyer USS Hughes , ship #27; and submarine USS Dentuda , ship #24. Dentuda , with her crew safely away from their submarine, being submerged (thus avoiding
4830-443: The assignment, she made periodic trips to Eniwetok for replenishment of water. Four days after her arrival at Pearl Harbor on 14 September, the ship headed for the west coast for an overhaul which lasted into 1947. Upon her return to the western Pacific, she began conducting local operations in the Marshalls; at Eniwetok and Kwajalein , which continued from 13 January to 14 March. Then, following brief repairs at Pearl Harbor, Tombigbee
4935-516: The attack transport ship Hinsdale before she could unload her troops. The next day, Tombigbee shifted her anchorage to Hagushi on the western side of the island. During succeeding weeks, Tombigbee ' s men saw numerous kamikaze s crash into combat ships and auxiliaries. Meanwhile, they often remained at general quarters up to 20 hours a day while supplying water to landing craft and amphibious warfare ships. The ship made trips to Kerama Retto carrying water from fleet tankers coming from
5040-523: The blast, shut their eyes, and cradle their arm across their face for additional protection. A few observers who disregarded the recommended precautions advised the others when the bomb detonated. Most shipboard observers reported feeling a slight concussion and hearing a disappointing little "poom". On July 26, 2016, the National Security Archive declassified and released the entire stock of footage shot by surveillance aircraft that flew over
5145-470: The cameras could shoot 1,000 frames per second. Before the first test, all personnel were evacuated from the target fleet and Bikini Atoll. They boarded ships of the support fleet, which took safe positions at least 10 nautical miles (19 km) east of the atoll. Test personnel were issued special dark glasses to protect their eyes, but a decision was made shortly before Able that the glasses might not be adequate. Personnel were instructed to turn away from
5250-611: The completion of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in 1985, much of the middle course of the river in northeastern Mississippi was diverted into the new, straightened channel. Above Aberdeen Lake, the waterway flows alongside the original course of the river. In addition to the Black Warrior, the river is joined by the Buttahatchee River from the east, north of Columbus, Mississippi. To the South of Columbus, Luxapalila Creek joins with
5355-560: The degree of damage, only nine surviving Baker target ships were eventually decontaminated and sold for scrap. The rest were sunk at sea after decontamination efforts failed. Prinz Eugen , ship #36, survived both the Able and Baker tests but was too radioactive to have leaks repaired. In September 1946 she was towed to Kwajalein Atoll , where she capsized in shallow water on December 22. She remains there today, with starboard propeller blades in
SECTION 50
#17328631360845460-422: The destroyer USS Lamson , which sank, was farther away than seven ships that stayed afloat. Lamson was broadside to the blast, taking the full impact on her port side, while the seven closer ships were anchored with their sterns toward the blast, somewhat protecting the most vulnerable part of the hull. The only large ship inside the 1000-yard radius which sustained moderate rather than serious damage
5565-436: The device was mounted on a tower. It made a crater 6 feet (1.8 m) deep and 500 feet (150 m) wide, and there was some local fallout . The test was conducted in secret, and the world at large learned nothing about the radioactive fallout at the time. To be a true air burst with no local fallout, the Trinity height-of-burst needed to be 580 feet (180 m). With an air burst, the radioactive fission products rise into
5670-439: The doorways and decks. One of the two main ventilator funnels had tilted to the center, yet one engine was still running, and the captain steered to anchor the tugboat in a flooded cornfield. Another downstream tugboat, M/V Tallapoosa , rescued the captain and all three crew members; with the pilot, then secured the two barges of coal. The barges were later towed to Mobile by the same company's towboat M/V Mauvilla. The Mauvilla
5775-465: The eastern boundary of the historical Choctaw lands, from the 17th century when they coalesced as a people, to the forced Indian Removal by the United States in the 1830s. The river begins in northeastern Mississippi just south of the Pharr Mounds near the northern county line of Itawamba County , at what was once known as the source of the east fork of the river . Historically, the beginning of
5880-518: The first detonations of nuclear devices since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. The purpose of the tests was to investigate the effect of nuclear weapons on warships. The Crossroads tests were the first of many nuclear tests held in the Marshall Islands and the first to be publicly announced beforehand and observed by an invited audience, including a large press corps . They were conducted by Joint Army/Navy Task Force One, headed by Vice Admiral William H. P. Blandy rather than by
5985-549: The first test for six weeks, from May 15 to July 1. For public consumption, the postponement was explained as an opportunity for more Congressional observers to attend during their summer recess. When Congressmen complained about the destruction of $ 450 million worth of target ships, Blandy replied that their true cost was their scrap value at $ 10 per ton, only $ 3.7 million. Veterans and legislators from New York and Pennsylvania requested to keep their namesake battleships as museum ships , as Texas had done with USS Texas , but
6090-480: The following day. Some of the 114 press observers expressed disappointment at the effect on ships. The New York Times reported, prematurely, that "only two were sunk, one capsized, and eighteen damaged." The next day, the Times carried an explanation by Forrestal that "heavily built and heavily armored ships are difficult to sink unless they sustain underwater damage." The main cause of less-than-expected ship damage
6195-489: The grounds of the David Taylor Model Basin outside Washington, DC, dress rehearsals for Baker were conducted with dynamite and model ships in a pond named "Little Bikini." A fleet of 93 target vessels was assembled in Bikini Lagoon. At the center of the target cluster, the density was 20 ships per square mile (7.7 per km ), three to five times greater than military doctrine would allow. The stated goal
6300-627: The island on board the LST-861 , with most moving to the Rongerik Atoll . In the 1950s, a series of large thermonuclear tests rendered Bikini unfit for subsistence farming and fishing because of radioactive contamination . Bikini remains uninhabited as of 2017 , though it is occasionally visited by sport divers . Planners attempted to protect participants in the Operation Crossroads tests against radiation sickness , but one study showed that
6405-761: The late summer before returning once again to the Hawaiian Islands for local operations and technical availability at Pearl Harbor. Tombigbee continued her unglamorous but vital support duties in the Pacific. She was again deployed to the Marshalls – Kwajalein and Eniwetok – and also conducted local operations out of Pearl. Returning to the west coast in the spring, the tanker participated in Exercise "Pinetree" from 21–28 May 1964 before returning to Pearl Harbor. Two shuttle runs between Pearl Harbor and Kaneohe Bay , Hawaii; classified operations, and technical and restricted availability at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, occupied
SECTION 60
#17328631360846510-521: The life expectancy of participants was reduced by an average of three months. The Baker test's radioactive contamination of all the target ships was the first case of immediate, concentrated radioactive fallout from a nuclear explosion. Chemist Glenn T. Seaborg , the longest-serving chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission , called Baker "the world's first nuclear disaster." The first proposal to test nuclear weapons against naval warships
6615-526: The line of fire of the supporting warships . Rough seas hampered her water-discharging operations, but the need for fresh water overrode the need to protect the ship from rough-sea damage. After remaining in the Iwo Jima area until 9 March, the ship proceeded to Guam, where she reloaded her holds with water. Later in the month, Tombigbee joined the invasion force heading for the Ryūkyūs . Easter Sunday, April 1,
6720-499: The mice were placed outside the expected lethal zone in order to study possible mutations in future generations. Although Gilda missed its target Nevada by nearly half a mile (800 meters), and it failed to sink or to contaminate the battleship, a crew would not have survived. Goat #119, tethered inside a gun turret and shielded by armor plate , received enough fireball radiation to die four days later of radiation sickness having survived two days longer than goat #53, which
6825-438: The middle of 1969. Following a routine return to Pearl Harbor for upkeep and availability, the tanker was again deployed off Vietnam with Service Squadron 5 through 1971, supporting Operation Market Time in the Vietnamese coastal waters, with periodic visits to such ports as Singapore ; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Hong Kong; Brisbane, Australia ; and Subic Bay. She also conducted surveillance operations of Soviet warships operating in
6930-517: The miss was caused by a miscalculation by the crew. The mystery was never solved. There were other factors that made Able less spectacular than expected. Observers were much farther away than at the Trinity test , and the high humidity absorbed much of the light and heat. The battleship USS Nevada , the only battleship to get underway at the Attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, had been designated as
7035-500: The mythical daughter of King Minos who helped Theseus to escape from the labyrinth – the ship served with the Hellenic Navy as a support tanker through 1979. Final Disposition: reported withdrawn from Greek naval service in 2003, fate unknown. In U.S. service, Tombigbee was awarded two battle stars for World War II service: Iwo Jima operation, Okinawa Gunto operation. She was awarded 11 engagement stars for her service in
7140-604: The natives of Bikini were very proud to be part of this wonderful undertaking." On March 6, Wyatt attempted to stage a filmed reenactment of the February 10 meeting in which the Bikinians had given away their atoll. Despite repeated promptings and at least seven retakes, Juda confined his on-camera remarks to, "We are willing to go. Everything is in God's hands." The next day, LST-861 moved them and their belongings 128 miles (206 km) east to
7245-406: The nearest city. So that a B-29 Superfortress could drop a bomb, there had to be an airbase within 1,000 miles (1,600 km). To contain the target ships, it needed to have a protected anchorage at least 6 miles (10 km) wide. Ideally, it would have predictable weather patterns and be free of severe cold and violent storms. Predictable winds would avoid having radioactive material blown back on
7350-495: The nuclear test site just minutes after the bomb detonated. The footage can be seen on YouTube . Able and Baker are the first two letters of the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet , used from 1941 until 1956. Alfa and Bravo are their counterparts in the current NATO phonetic alphabet . Charlie is the third letter in both systems. According to eyewitness accounts, the time of detonation for each test
7455-578: The ocean." In Baker on July 25, the weapon was suspended beneath landing craft LSM-60 anchored in the midst of the target fleet. Baker was detonated at 08:35, 90 feet (27 m) underwater, halfway to the bottom in water 180 feet (55 m) deep. No identifiable part of LSM-60 was ever found; it was presumably vaporized by the nuclear fireball. Ten ships were sunk, including the German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen , which sank in December, five months after
7560-460: The remainder of the year. The ship's first exposure to combat came while she lay anchored at Ulithi on 20 November 1944. A Japanese midget submarine slipped into the anchorage area and torpedoed the oiler Mississinewa , anchored less than 1,500 yards (1,400 m) from Tombigbee . The tanker remained on the Guam-Ulithi "express" water supply run through January 1945. On 7 February, while she
7665-544: The results, Senator McMahon complained to Truman that the Navy should not be "solely responsible for conducting operations which might well indeed determine its very existence." Truman acknowledged that "reports were getting around that these tests were not going to be entirely on the level." He imposed a civilian review panel on Operation Crossroads to "convince the public it was objective." Pressure to cancel Operation Crossroads altogether came from scientists and diplomats. Manhattan Project scientists argued that further testing
7770-502: The river was in northern Monroe County at the confluence of Town Creek (also known as West Fork Tombigbee River) and the east fork of the river. The river flows east through Aberdeen Lake near Aberdeen , and Columbus Lake near Columbus . It flows through Aliceville Lake on the Mississippi-Alabama border, then generally SSE across western Alabama in a highly meandering course, past Gainesville and Demopolis . There it
7875-627: The ship through late October, before she was again deployed to the Philippines. While in the Far East, Tombigbee operated out of Subic Bay; Kaohsiung , Taiwan ; Hong Kong ; and Yokosuka before departing Japan on 7 June and arriving at Pearl Harbor on the 18th. She remained in Hawaiian waters for the rest of 1965. Upon completion of her regular overhaul at Pearl Harbor, Tombigbee conducted regular refresher training before departing Pearl on 21 February 1966 for passage to Subic Bay, where she made port on 12 March. Deploying to coastal waters off Vietnam ,
7980-516: The ship to experience a 90% radiation reduction would still have received a lethal dose of 1,000 rems. In the assessment of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists : "a large ship, about a mile away from the explosion, would escape sinking, but the crew would be killed by the deadly burst of radiations from the bomb, and only a ghost ship would remain, floating unattended in the vast waters of
8085-516: The ships did not become radioactive. Neutron activation of materials in the ships was judged to be a minor problem by the standards of the time. One sailor on the support ship USS Haven was found to be "sleeping in a shower of gamma rays" from an illegal metal souvenir he had taken from a target ship. Fireball neutrons had made it radioactive. Within a day nearly all the surviving target ships had been reboarded. The ship inspections, instrument recoveries, and moving and remooring of ships for
8190-699: The tanker conducted two logistic support deployments, from 18 March to 6 June, and from 11 July to 28 August, before returning to Pearl Harbor for restricted availability, independent ship exercises, and operations as a submarine target reference vessel. Homeported at Pearl Harbor in 1967, Tombigbee began the new year with operations with Submarine Flotilla 5 and Destroyer Flotilla 5 on antisubmarine warfare exercises off Maui before she conducted exercises in anticipation of her second WestPac deployment. On 6 September, she departed Pearl Harbor, bound, via Guam and Subic Bay, for South Vietnam and arrived at Da Nang on 4 October. She conducted logistics support operations in
8295-413: The target, was closer to the attack transport USS Gilliam , in much less crowded water. In addition to the five ships that sank, fourteen were judged to have serious damage or worse, mostly as a result of the shock wave . All but three were located within 1,000 yards (900 m) of the detonation. Inside that radius, orientation to the bomb was a factor in shock wave impact. For example, ship #6,
8400-460: The task force personnel, and predictable ocean currents would allow material to be kept away from shipping lanes, fishing areas, and inhabited shores. Timing was critical because Navy manpower required to move the ships was being released from active duty as part of the post-World War II demobilization, and civilian scientists knowledgeable about atomic weapons were leaving federal employment for college teaching positions. On January 24, Blandy named
8505-548: The test and wrote President Truman about his objections to it, arguing that any data obtained from the test could be obtained more accurately and cheaply in a laboratory. Secretary of State James F. Byrnes , who a year earlier had told physicist Leo Szilard that a public demonstration of the bomb might make the Soviet Union "more manageable" in Europe, now argued the opposite: that further display of U.S. nuclear power could harden
8610-453: The test, because radioactivity prevented repairs to a leak in the hull. Photographs of Baker are unique among nuclear detonation pictures. The searing, blinding flash that usually obscures the target area took place underwater and was barely seen. The clear image of ships in the foreground and background gives a sense of scale. The large condensation cloud and the vertical water column are distinctive Baker shot features. One picture shows
8715-437: The test, thus "absent without leave" from its post on Sakawa and showing up about the same time other surviving pigs were captured. The high rate of test animal survival was due in part to the nature of single-pulse radiation. As with the two Los Alamos criticality accidents involving the earlier demon core , victims who were close enough to receive a lethal dose died, while those farther away recovered and survived. Also, all
8820-488: The tests and see an atomic bomb explode. The islands of the Bikini Atoll were used as instrumentation sites and, until Baker contaminated them, as recreation sites. Radio-controlled autopilots were installed in eight B-17 bombers, converting them into remote-controlled drones which were then loaded with automatic cameras, radiation detectors, and air sample collectors. Their pilots operated them from mother planes at
8925-416: The top, it pushed the water above it into a "spray dome", which burst through the surface like a geyser . Elapsed time since detonation was four milliseconds. During the first full second, the expanding bubble removed all the water within a 500-foot (150 m) radius and lifted two million tons of spray and seabed sand into the air. As the bubble rose at 2,500 feet per second (760 m/s), it stretched
9030-402: The uninhabited Rongerik Atoll , to begin a permanent exile. Three Bikini families returned in 1974 but were evacuated again in 1978 because of radioactivity in their bodies from four years of eating contaminated food. As of 2022, the atoll remains unpopulated. To make room for the target ships, 100 short tons (90 t) of dynamite were used to remove coral heads from Bikini Lagoon. On
9135-511: The vicinity of American forces in the South China Sea . After returning to Pearl Harbor at the end of 1971, Tombigbee was placed in reduced operating status from 1 February 1972. From 31 May to 7 July, the ship underwent inactivation preparations; and, on the latter date, 7 July, the ship was decommissioned at Pearl Harbor and transferred to the Greek Navy . Renamed Ariadni (A414) – after
9240-508: The water supply around Nagasaki as drinkable, and the tanker began replenishing her depleted tanks with local water to supply the ships still on duty in Japanese ports. Following this tour of duty, for which she received the Navy Occupation Service Medal , Tombigbee supported the ships participating in the atomic bomb testing ( Operation Crossroads ) in the Marshalls at Bikini Atoll , from 1 April to 5 September 1946. During
9345-499: The west coast late in the summer of 1949 for inactivation. On 12 December 1949, Tombigbee was placed out of commission, in reserve, at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard , Vallejo, California . The North Korean invasion of South Korea , commencing on 25 June 1950, triggered the reactivation of many Navy ships, including Tombigbee . The gasoline tanker was recommissioned at Mare Island , California, on 28 July 1950 and
9450-548: Was Deputy Task Force Commander for Aviation. Blandy codenamed the tests Operation Crossroads. Under pressure from the Army, Blandy agreed to crowd more ships into the immediate target area than the Navy wanted, but he refused USAAF Major General Curtis LeMay 's demand that "every ship must have a full loading of oil, ammunition, and fuel." Blandy's argument was that fires and internal explosions might sink ships that would otherwise remain afloat and be available for damage evaluation. When Blandy proposed an all-Navy board to evaluate
9555-541: Was Pig #311, which was reportedly found swimming in the lagoon after the blast and was brought back to the National Zoo in Washington, DC . The mysterious survival of Pig #311 caused some consternation at the time and has continued to be reported in error. However, an investigation pointed to the conclusion that it had neither swum in the ocean nor escaped the blast; it had likely been safely aboard an observation vessel during
9660-550: Was again deployed to the Far East. She operated out of Guam; Yokosuka , Japan ; Pusan and Jinsen (Inchon), Korea ; Qingdao , China ; Buckner Bay and Naha , Okinawa; as well as at Manila in the Philippine Islands . The tanker remained in the Far East until 1 August, when she departed Qingdao, bound for Long Beach, California . After overhaul, the ship returned to the Orient and touched at familiar ports before heading for
9765-478: Was announced as H or How hour; in the official JTF-1 history, the term M or Mike hour is used instead. There were only seven nuclear bombs in existence in July 1946. The two bombs used in the test were Fat Man plutonium implosion-type nuclear weapons of the kind dropped on Nagasaki. The Able bomb was stenciled with the name Gilda and decorated with an Esquire magazine photograph of Rita Hayworth , star of
9870-405: Was cool and slightly overcast, with a calm sea; a perfect day for an amphibious operation. Tombigbee arrived off the beaches of Okinawa at 05:45 and steamed to a position on the eastern side of the island, close to the transport group. As she neared the anchorage, a Japanese kamikaze , its pilot intent on bigger game than the water carrier, flew past the tanker's starboard side and crashed into
9975-516: Was deployed to the Middle Pacific (MidPac) operating area where she served until near the end of hostilities in Korea. On 13 May 1953, she sailed for the northern Pacific and operated in that area until 22 December when she was transferred back to MidPac. On 27 March 1954 Tombigbee was part of the fuel supply network for aircraft and other support vehicles on Bikini, Eniwetok, & Kwajalein atoll during
10080-620: Was dropped from the B-29 Dave's Dream of the 509th Bombardment Group . The plane, formerly known as Big Stink , had been the photographic equipment aircraft on the Nagasaki mission in 1945. It had been renamed in honor of Dave Semple , a bombardier who was killed during a practice mission on March 7, 1946. Gilda detonated 520 feet (158 m) above the target fleet, with a yield of 23 kilotons. Five ships were sunk. Two attack transports sank immediately, two destroyers within hours, and Sakawa
10185-473: Was featured as a Charles Ingalls song in the Little House books. 31°8′11″N 87°56′39″W / 31.13639°N 87.94417°W / 31.13639; -87.94417 Operation Crossroads Operation Crossroads was a pair of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. They were the first nuclear weapon tests since Trinity on July 16, 1945, and
10290-512: Was made on August 16, 1945, by Lewis Strauss , future chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission . In an internal memo to Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal , Strauss argued, "If such a test is not made, there will be loose talk to the effect that the fleet is obsolete in the face of this new weapon and this will militate against appropriations to preserve a postwar Navy of the size now planned." With very few bombs available, he suggested
10395-576: Was not to duplicate a realistic anchorage but to measure damage as a function of distance from the blast center, at as many distances as possible. The arrangement also reflected the outcome of the Army/Navy disagreement about how many ships should be allowed to sink. The target fleet included four obsolete U.S. battleships, two aircraft carriers , two cruisers , thirteen destroyers , eight submarines , forty landing ships, eighteen transports, two oilers, one floating drydock, and three surrendered Axis ships,
10500-440: Was on the deck, unshielded. Had Nevada been fully manned, she would likely have become a floating coffin, dead in the water for lack of a live crew. Two years later she was finished off by an aerial torpedo 65 miles southwest of Pearl Harbor on 31 July 1948. In theory, every unprotected location on the ship received 10,000 rems (100 Sv) of initial nuclear radiation from the fireball. Therefore, people deep enough inside
10605-475: Was planned for 1947 but was canceled primarily because of the United States Navy 's inability to decontaminate the target ships after the Baker test. Ultimately, only nine target ships were able to be scrapped rather than scuttled . Charlie was rescheduled as Operation Wigwam , a deep-water shot conducted in 1955 off the coast of Mexico ( Baja California ). Bikini's native residents were evacuated from
10710-460: Was steaming toward Guam, orders rerouted Tombigbee to Saipan . Subsequently removed to Tinian with a full load of water, she supplied water until 19 February, when she joined Task Group (TG) 50.9 and got underway for the Volcano Islands . At 09:24 six days later, Tombigbee was detached from the task group and entered the harbor at Iwo Jima . There, the water carrier lay-to and kept out of
10815-551: Was that the bomb missed its aim point by 710 yards (649 m). The ship the bomb was aimed at failed to sink. The miss resulted in a government investigation of the flight crew of the B-29 bomber. Various explanations were offered, including the bomb's known poor ballistic characteristics, but none was convincing. Images of the drop were inconclusive. The bombsight was checked and found error free. Pumpkin bomb drops were conducted and were accurate. Colonel Paul W. Tibbets believed that
10920-496: Was the sturdily built Japanese battleship Nagato , ship #7, whose stern-on orientation to the bomb gave her some protection. Unrepaired damage from World War II may have complicated damage analysis. As the ship from which the Pearl Harbor attack had been commanded, Nagato was positioned near the aim point to guarantee her being sunk. The Able bomb missed its target, and the symbolic sinking came three weeks later, five days after
11025-476: Was unnecessary and environmentally dangerous. A Los Alamos study warned "the water near a recent surface explosion will be a witch's brew" of radioactivity. When the scientists pointed out that the tests might demonstrate ship survivability while ignoring the effect of radiation on sailors, Blandy responded by adding test animals to some of the ships, thereby generating protests from animal rights advocates. J. Robert Oppenheimer declined an invitation to attend
#83916