Show SECRECY PREVAILS Ships Regrouped for forBy Second Atomic Test i By WALTER VALTER A. A SHEAD SHERD Corre Correspondent I 1 HONOLULU OPERATIONS CROSSROADS much attendant secrecy the target fleet t in in Bi Bikin kutt 1 lac t for the second atom bomb test t been regrouped test est s s' s shed sched h i Jul July Y 25 Although h most of the correspondents h ha have e r re e i ito to the States several made application to remain In i E B during the interim so they could cover the ar for the second test This arran arrange range y made request st being ma q Va was S ref refus the however and all newspaper men navy were or ord der pro proceed teed to where they were eft either tr train t j rans immediately by a air it to the States or to Honolulu u alis n p r tl housed aboard the press ship Appalachian Or q I C In the meantime the thc Appalachian made a leisurely trip to Pearl Harbor Harbor Harbor Har Har- bor where she underwent some minor minor minor mi mi- nor repairs and now is proceeding back to Bikini where she is scheduled scheduled sched sched- to arrive on Day B-Day minus 1 I or July 24 24 Nearest Center It has been announced that ships nearest the eye bulls of the second test will include the battleship Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas Ar Ar- I kansas the heavy cruiser Pensacola Pensacola Pensa- Pensa I cola the Jap battleship Nagato the aircraft carrier Saratoga a the destroyer Mayrant the submarine ne the transport Fallow and anda a tank landing ship It ma may be that the will be nearest the bomb burst which as has been announced will be an underwater detonation detona detona- tion Other ships of the target fleet have been placed in various positions ranging up to 1800 yards away from the blast The Arkansas the Pensacola and the Nagato all were severely damaged damaged damaged dam dam- aged as to superstructure In the first blast The Pensacola particularly suffered heavy damage to her fire control her stacks were blown oft off and her deck plates buckled This correspondent went aboard the Pensacola Pensacola Pensacola Pen Pen- sacola after the first test and noted that her decks were driven en downward about 12 inches and with such force that steel supports beneath were driven through the steel deck plating like toothpicks through paper Await Report There is considerable speculation as to the coming report of the Military Military Mili Mili- tary Evaluation board as to the efficacy efficacy efficacy ef ef- ef- ef of the atom bomb as an offensive offensive offensive of of- weapon in naval warfare If the board decides that future naval naval naval na na- na- na val construction must meet the dangers dangers dan dan- gers of atomic blasts then we may expect an entirely different warship of the future The experience of the first blast indicates that firepower exposed upon high superstructure is particularly particularly susceptible to the heat and blast of atomic power The speculation speculation speculation lation is that to meet this threat future construction will see streamlined streamlined streamlined stream stream- lined warships with low superstructures tures enclosed as much as possible looking something like a modern deisel locomotive with curved surfaces surfaces surfaces sur sur- surI I faces to deflect blast I Installation of ventilation systems also will be given close scrutiny since it was learned that the blast in some cases particularly aboard the Pensacola entered the y SS M 29 TERRIFIC BRILLIANCE Camera catches terrific brilliance of atomic blast in this photo taken just at time of detonation of ot the atomic bomb tion openings and followed the ducts bel below w decks breaking out at the weakest points shoving through a bulkhead and smashing other obstacles obstacles obstacles ob ob- ob- ob in its way deep in the ship This was particularly noticeable noticeable noticeable notice notice- able in a comparison with the German ship Prinz Eugen which has no ventilation system and depends upon row upon row of portholes for ventilation for Its Us crew Not a porthole was smashed and no damage done dono below deck but she was admittedly admit admit- much farther from the center of the blast than the Pensacola In reflecting upon the damage done to the ships in the first blast the remarkable thing to this writer Is that not a single live mine bomb bombshell bombshell shell bag of powder or any other ammunition aboard any ship was exploded exploded exploded ex ex- ex- ex either by the heat or blast force of the bomb Torpedoes on the Independence exploded due to a fire which finally exploded her powder magazine and her aviation r rh h r A S r y Y H r MUSHROOM CLOUD h huge mushroom cloud ri rise i Bikini shortly after tie lie all bomb was dropped This pig I Iwas was made by a flying in a B 29 i gasoline But on most an aIl th were placed live mines be shells were in guns or on oa hi sr apparatus and each ship drip ir full load of ammunition NOt field was exploded and the safety era I which boarded the ships fok the blast were careful in t this tee r Then the speculation goes ause is a S Suse use of lead lining against X-r. X UK rock wool or some other p I against heat and concrete c e ec substitute against neutrons a adder add er radioactivity e Opinions Vary Yary f There are two schools of d f tW as to the damage likely to ship hulls from the blast Having in mind the fact depth charges of presently t. t Ki plosives have sunk or marines and heavily and other lighter wR c cr i school declares that the s a bomb will play havoc with t tt e t get fleet and predicts that E d ital ships closest to the blvd blast t i F ibe be capsized and sunk Others however predict i r much of the force of the be absorbed by the water add ad although there Is danger c d cf or j ships capsizing the larger s i merely roll with the water d d heavier underwater PI d i ibe be damaged They heavily armored ships mIl WB dt fer I c fer as much underwater ta dara t. t could be inflicted r with a Th This s is all in the realm of A I t tion however and the navy na re- mum about its own e. e P b S aboard oard Lett In discussions ab d k among 34 by br P n the thc comment t T Is some val officers there a r t that the son to presume offensive veep bomb as an not s 1 t against ships at sea is n no other weapons as k k its elf effectiveness ever would be being d e o lr III naval bases be V ing and a fleet rendered It s bases would be ren potent I t Atoll to Remain V t F tw that This writer believes s atoll and its cocoanut gro ES the second t tand ten tells after there ere third ba b and after the tog even or ar lip 11 C for November hundreds cf ci fob detonated in deBi E wa water ter in the ocean outside If not exP do We b goon noon N roi fry SJ I p 1 foot waves nor 1 r r. I f wave e wind although some over the island A foot 15 15 do that But the test which bas army r 1 t joint from a stress about which so roU much ch s treSS t tinto dt naV navy s sis sho F into strictly a s I b bis is probably costing ceu day million dollars a the o our military tarY men su aU e IS it t to o I they will need bomb b. b ft atomic w against the h sa aJ I Iture th there thereof re indeed r f ture if againSt t it 11 J of pr preparing e p acing |