Nuclear tests in the Pacific: why dozens of years later, the threat from radiation has not subsided

This happened on July 25, 1946 on the Bikini Atoll. The fifth atomic bomb test took place there that day, but for the first time the explosion was underwater. Everyone saw these shots: a huge mushroom rises above the Pacific Ocean, and a blast wave swallows the ships on the way that they sacrificed in order to check what the power of the atom is capable of.

Photo: video frame YouTube / CBIFBISBIpoliceDHODY

73 years later, scientists returned there to make a map of the ocean floor, says Air force. The explosion funnel is still visible. The twisted wreckage of the ships has also survived.

“We decided to choose Bikini because of its remote location and large, easily accessible lagoon,” said research team leader Art Trembanis of the University of Delaware.

“Then comedian Bob Hope said that as soon as the war ended, we found one area of ​​the Earth untouched by the war and blew it to hell,” he added.

As part of Operation Crossroads, two American tests took place on the atoll - Able and Baker. The 21-kiloton Baker bomb, dubbed "Helen of Bikini," was detonated at a depth of 27 m.

The explosion threw 2 million tons of water, sand and coral powder into the air high.

Before the expedition, Trembanis believed that despite the incredible power surge, most of the ocean floor healed by the explosion should already have been leveled out by bottom sediments.

But the forecast did not materialize. His research team, consisting of oceanographers, geologists, marine archaeologists and engineers, revealed a pronounced decline.

Using an echo sounder, they made a topographic map of the seabed with an area of ​​800 m and a relief of about 10 m.

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"It's like Captain Marvel hitting the planet and making a dent in it," Trembanis told reporters gathered at the American Geophysical Union for a presentation of the team's findings.

"We wanted to pull back the curtain and really showcase the place," he told the BBC. “It was only in the late 1980s and early 1990s that divers were able to explore this area for the first time. And even then, due to restrictions, they only examined a small amount of the ship's wreckage."

Photo: video frame YouTube / CBIFBISBIpoliceDHODY

“We used modern sonar technology; we had the opportunity to map the entire site. It's like going to the Grand Canyon at night with one flashlight, or going there during the day and seeing everything right away. We were able to see the location of the ships, how close they were to each other, and saw that the crater was still there. Nature still reminds us of its wound received from a bomb explosion,” the scientist said.

It is noteworthy that the crater resembles a rippled structure, something like rose petals. This indicates that all the huge mass raised into the air, collapsed down in the water column and scattered along the bottom of the ocean.

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Part of the study was due to the need for a clearer understanding of the ongoing impact of the explosion on the environment. Although radiation levels have fallen markedly, there is a pollution problem from sunken ships.

These old ships, flying the flags of the USA, Japan and Germany, were not prepared for flooding to further create artificial reefs from them. This would involve the complete dismantling of their equipment.

Photo: video frame YouTube / CBIFBISBIpoliceDHODY

According to the test scenario, simulating military operations, it was necessary to leave the ships on alert. This, in particular, implied that the ships were with a reserve of fuel and even with ammunition.

“When we were mapping, I didn’t even have to look at the instrument panel to know we were near the USS Saratoga because I could smell diesel fuel. He was very strong and could be easily distinguished,” Trembanis said.

“The battleship Nagato, the flagship of the Japanese fleet on which Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto planned the attack on Pearl Harbor, is leaking fuel that has spread for many miles,” the scientist says.

Ships continue to collapse in the water, and pollution from them can turn into an even bigger problem, Trembanis noted.

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