Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Operation Castle
Operation Castle was a series of nuclear weapon tests that the USA conducted in 1954. Most notable is that this series of test in the Pacific Ocean included the accidental largest nuclear weapon ever exploded by the USA in the test codenamed Bravo. This device released energy equivalent to 15 millions of tons of TNT when the predicted yield was 6 megatons. It blasted a crater with about 2 km diameter in the Bikini Atoll where it was tested.
When the wind turned unexpectedly, this explosion turned into the worst radiological disaster the USA had seen. Several people were irradiated by the nuclear fallout, among them inhabitants of the nearby Marshall Islands and some Japanese fishers, one of whom died later. An area of about 1% of the surface of Earth had to be regarded as a security zone.
| Test Name | Date | Location | Yield | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bravo | 1 March, 1954 | Pacific Proving Ground | 15 megatons | Had 250% of predicted yield |
| Romeo | 27 March, 1954 | Pacific Proving Ground | 11 megatons | Had 275% of predicted yield |
| Koon | 7 April, 1954 | Pacific Proving Ground | 110 kilotons | Had 11% of predicted yield |
| Union | 26 April, 1954 | Pacific Proving Ground | 6.9 megatons | Had 230% of predicted yield |
| Yankee(I) | -- | -- | -- | Canceled |
| Yankee(II) | 5 May, 1954 | Pacific Proving Ground | 13.5 megatons | Had 142% of predicted yield |
| Echo | -- | -- | -- | Canceled |
| Nectar | 14 May, 1954 | Pacific Proving Ground | 1.6 megatons | Had 94% of predicted yield |
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