Declassified U.S. Nuclear Test Film #15

0800015 - Operation Upshot-Knothole - 1953 - 35:45 - Color
0800016 - Operation Upshot-Knothole, Project 5.2, Atomic Weapons Effects on B-50 Aircraft - 1953 - 19:00 - Black&White (Silent) - This operation conducted at the Nevada Test Site consisted of 11 atmospheric tests. There were three airdrops, seven tower tests, and one airburst. Conducted between March 17 and June 4, 1953, this operation involved the testing of new theories, using both fission and fusion devices. A new and revolutionary method of producing deliverable thermonuclear weapons was successfully tested. Approximately 21,000 Department of Defense military and civilian personnel participated in Operation Upshot-Knothole as part of the Desert Rock V exercise.

Unfortunately, Operation Upshot-Knothole, particularly the HARRY test, drew a great deal of criticism as resultant fallout levels produced increased offsite radiation exposures.

The tests comprising the 1953 Operation Upshot-Knothole were as follows:

ANNIE, March 17, tower, weapons related, 16 kilotons (kt)
NANCY, March 24, tower, weapons related, 24 kt
RUTH, March 31, tower, weapons related, 200 tons
DIXIE, April 6, airdrop, weapons related, 11 kt
RAY, April 11, tower, weapons related, 200 tons
BADGER, April 18, tower, weapons related, 23 kt
SIMON, April 25, tower, weapons related, 43 kt
ENCORE, May 8, airdrop, weapons effects, 27 kt
HARRY, May 19, tower, weapons related, 32 kt
GRABLE, May 25, fired from 280 mm gun, airburst, weapons related, 15 kt
CLIMAX, June 4, airdrop, weapons related, 61 kt

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Nukes
• Nuclear
• weapons
• WMD
• radiation
• radioactive
• testing
• warhead
• downwinders
• atomic
• cancer

[orange70383]

@tachikaze222 Dirty Harry

[syedsaim]

@IsaacSloan I'm with ya

[wwwunitednuclear]

@IsaacSloan Of course there was more fallout products in Utah - there were dozens of airbursts over the Nevada test site as compared to the two bombs dropped on Japan. Fallout has to go somewhere and apparently the Mormons got the bulk of it. Government statistics from the Cancer Institute show an additional 138,000 cases of thyroid cancer as a direct result of the above ground nuclear tests. Just one reason they went underground. Deaths aside, I still miss the above ground tests.

[IsaacSloan]

America dropped 2 bombs on Japan and 1,021 on Nevada. I guess it isn't surprising that St. George, Utah has more background radiation and unburned Plutonium than ground zero of both Nagasaki and Hiroshima. All I can say is "WTF?" Is anyone with me on this?

[sprimusp]

atom and evil

[samalayork]

Great Footage,thanks for making this important detailed piece of history available to everyone!

[tachikaze222]

8:45 looks clean but that was "Harry", the test that produced the most fallout of any continental test (according to wikipedia), and later irradiated the citizens of St George, Utah, 135 miles downwind.

[Monty22001]

'shot 10' they are talking about was probably the Grable, 15kt with a maximized airbust height. A lot was learned in that one.  Amazing footage.