Operation Teapot
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It has been suggested that "Survival Town" Atom Test be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) Proposed since January 2012. |
| Operation Teapot | |
|---|---|
 Teapot MET (Military Effects Test) |
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| Information | |
| Country | United States |
| Test site | Nevada Test Site |
| Period | February - May 1955 |
| Number of tests | 14 |
| Device type | Fission |
| Max. yield | 43 kilotons of TNT (180 TJ) |
| Navigation | |
| Previous test | Operation Castle |
| Next test | Operation Wigwam |
Operation Teapot was a series of fourteen nuclear test explosions conducted at the Nevada Test Site in the first half of 1955.
During shot "Wasp", ground forces took part in Exercise Desert Rock VI which included an armored task force "Razor" moving to within 900 meters of ground zero, under the still-forming mushroom cloud.[1][2]
The Civil Defense "Apple-2" shot on 5 May 1955 was intended to test various building construction types (nicknamed as "Survival Town") in a nuclear blast. A few of the buildings still stand at Area 1, Nevada Test Site. A documentary film was produced showing the buildings being damaged by the blast; in the film, the test is called "Operation Cue".[3][4] Stock footage from the nuclear test was used in the 1983 TV movie The Day After during the explosion sequence.[citation needed] A retrospective documentary film known as The "Survival Town" Atom Test recorded the nuclear detonation effects of the test.
An augmented test unit from the United States Marine Corps participated in Shot "Bee" during the March 1955 exercises.
The notable MET (Military Effects Test, shown in all images at right) was the first bomb core to use uranium-233 (a rarely used fissile isotope that is the product of thorium-232 neutron absorption), along with plutonium. It produced a yield comparable to the "Fat Man" plutonium weapon exploded over Nagasaki, but a third less than the expected amount.[5]
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This series preceded Wigwam and followed Operation Castle. The shots of this series were:
| Name | Date | Location | Yield | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wasp | 18 February 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 7) | 1.2 kilotons | |
| Moth | 22 February 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 3) | 2 kilotons | |
| Tesla | 1 March 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 9) | 7 kilotons | |
| Turk | 7 March 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 2) | 43 kilotons | |
| Hornet | 12 March 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 3) | 4 kilotons | |
| Bee | 22 March 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 7) | 8 kilotons | |
| Ess | 23 March 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 10) | 1.2 kilotons | |
| Apple-1 | 29 March 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 4) | 14 kilotons | Failed |
| Wasp Prime | 29 March 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 7) | 3.2 kilotons | |
| Ha | 6 April 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 1) | 3.2 kilotons | |
| Post | 9 April 1955 | Nevada Test Site(Area 9) | 2 kilotons | |
| MET | 15 April 1955 | Nevada Test Site | 22 kilotons | Uranium-233/plutonium bomb core |
| Apple-2 | 5 May 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 1) | 29 kilotons | Rerun of Apple-1 |
| Zucchini | 15 May 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 7) | 28 kilotons |
[edit] References
- ^ Defense Technical Information Center. Exercise Desert Rock VI. Operation Order Number 1. February, 1955.
- ^ Defense Technical Information Center. Exercise Desert Rock VI. Operation Order Number 2. February 1955.
- ^ University of Maryland. Record Group 304: Photographs of Operation Cue. (1955)
- ^ http://www.archive.org/details/Operatio1964
- ^ "Operation Teapot". Nuclear Weapon Archive. 15 October 1997. http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/Teapot.html. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
- Notes
- Chuck Hansen, U. S. Nuclear Weapons: The Secret History (Arlington: AeroFax, 1988)
- The Nuclear Weapons Archive Operation Teapot: 1955 - Nevada Proving Ground
- United States Nuclear Tests - DOE/NV--209-REV 15
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Operation Teapot |
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) press release about Operation Teapot
- The short film Big Picture: The Atom Soldier is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
- The short film Nuclear Test Film - Operation Teapot (1954) is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
- The short film Operation Cue (1955) (1955) is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
- The short film Big Picture: Individual Protection Against Atomic Attack is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
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Coordinates: 37°08′10″N 116°04′07″W / 37.13611°N 116.06861°W
