Operation Teapot: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:Operation Teapot - MET (Military Effects Test).jpg|thumb|right|Teapot "MET" (Military Effects Test) detonated on a 400-foot tower over [[Frenchman Flat]] on April 15, 1955, with a yield of 22 KT. This bomb had a rare [[uranium-233]] core.]] |
[[Image:Operation Teapot - MET (Military Effects Test).jpg|thumb|right|Teapot "MET" (Military Effects Test) detonated on a 400-foot tower over [[Frenchman Flat]] on April 15, 1955, with a yield of 22 KT. This bomb had a rare [[uranium-233]] core.]] |
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This series preceded [[Operation Wigwam|Wigwam]] and followed [[Operation Castle]]. The shots of this series were: |
This series preceded [[Operation Wigwam|Wigwam]] and followed [[Operation Castle]]. The shots of this series were: |
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Revision as of 16:56, 11 May 2011
| Operation Teapot | |
|---|---|
 Teapot MET (Military Effects Test) | |
| Information | |
| Country |  United States |
| Test site | Nevada Test Site |
| Period | February - May 1955 |
| Number of tests | 14 |
| Device type | Fission |
| Max. yield | 43 kt |
| Test chronology | |
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 May 5, 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] Stock footage from the nuclear test was used in the 1983 TV movie The Day After during the explosion sequence.[citation needed]
An augmented test unit from the United States Marine Corps participated in Shot "Bee" during the March 1955 exercises.
In the notable MET (Military Effects Test, shown in all images at right), a bomb core of uranium-233 (a rarely used fissile isotope that is the product of thorium-232 neutron absorption in breeder reactors) was shown to produce a yield comparable to the "Fat Man" plutonium weapon exploded over Nagasaki.[4]
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This series preceded Wigwam and followed Operation Castle. The shots of this series were:
| Test 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 |
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)
- ^ "Operation Teapot". Nuclear Weapon Archive. 15 October 1997. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
- Chuck Hansen, U. S. Nuclear Weapons: The Secret History (Arlington: AeroFax, 1988)
- The Nuclear Weapons Archive [1]
- United States Nuclear Tests - DOE/NV--209-REV 15
External links
