Show CONTROL IS PROBLEM congress battle I 1 rages in face of atom test W DV N I 1 U X 0 amu L R J V A IIII 1111 A aoma eu CHANNEL kaw 14 0 TASK BAKER radio radia impulses sent out from the he cumberland sound indicated in top drawing 1 were to detonate the underwater A bomb for the task baker second of the bikini experiments the bomb was suspended from a special large barge 2 As indicated by the hie arrows 3 a number of 0 drone ships were directed into the lagoon to test the effects of radio activated water by WALTER A SHEAD anu NV tion correspondent HONOLULU operations CROSSROAD while army and n navy avy officials in charge ot of joint task force forc 0 I 1 at the bikini atomic tomb bomb tes tests t are in interested t in the squabble now new going on in the c congress on as between civilian and military control of atomic energy their single interest here is to complete successfully the important experiments on the possible damage which a an in tom atom 3 bomb can do to a fleet beet a at t sea in th the e meantime adm W H P mandy blandy comma commander fider of operations crossroads has intimated that weather conditions may force a weeks delay in the underwater test in bikini lagoon scheduled tor for july duly 25 which would m make ake baker day aug I 1 or thereabouts As has been pointed out the weather tor for this second test need not be as perfect fas aas for t the he first test when the bomb was dropped from a B 29 but it must be clear enough for aerial observation and photography the press ship appalachian has completed her trip to pearl harbor for minor repairs and now is anchored with the rest of the maintenance fleet in bikini lagoon ready to pull out and cruise cruise outside to the seaward side of the island 1 iv v hen en the time is ripe tor for the second 1 test lest it few remain only approximately 23 correspondents spon dents are left aboard the ship since most of them returned to the states immediately after the first test the pattern for the underwater test has veen been completed with the battleship arkansas ishiah was barely blistered by the first test and the carrier saratoga also undamaged as a result of the first bomb almost equidistant and nearest to the proposed propos cd b bomb 0 mb burst A little to the east are the battleship new york and the cruiser salt lake city both suffered suf feied negligible damage in the first blast then to the west of the two center ships are the cruiser pensacola and the carrier independence the old independence is merely a hulk in the gatei with her insides torn out and her topsides tops ldes blasted away as result of the bomb and her own internal explosions the pensacola is un damaged below decks but her superstructure k Is pretty well battered up as a result of the first tests with both stacks blown away farther out in the circle are the battleships pennsylvania and nevada the jap ship nagato and tho the german pocket battleship prinz eugen just forward of the arkansas and the saratoga are several submarines which are submerged at various depths with the double hulled almost as close to the center of the burst as the arkansas lighter ships make up the balance of the target array opinions vary the effect ak of the bomb on these submarines is awaited with interest and in the meantime the discussion goes on as between those who predict this underwater blast will sink av e ral capital ships including the diab marines and those who declare the damage will be negligible oceanographers who have made such elaborate plans to measure effects of the bomb will come into their own on this second test there was I 1 little tor for them to measure as result of the he first test since the bomb made no appreciable waves and did to BO damage to the ocean bed beaches or the island however this second test Is expected to create high waves in the lagoon anywhere from 10 feet up there are 81 officers and me men in this section of the task force most of whom have been in the vicinity of bikini since last march raco recording arding data on the physical oceanography biology geology and fisheries of the atoll and surrounding waters measurements of wave motion in terms of time height and distance their effect on the sea bottom and on the beaches fall into thres three classes supersonic echo sounding devices and aerial and surface photography to plus maximum water height recorders on bikini island and water level meters on several other islands of the atoll there are supersonic echo sounders or fathom eters on 16 ships in the target array which will record large waves through the rise and fall fail of the ships while 11 supersonic i echo sounders on buoys will record passage of shorter waves mechanical pressure re recorders laid 1 1 yards apart on the bottom of the lagoon are capable of recording wave height in range from 4 to feet animals still dying the aftereffects after effects of this radio activity is impressive as seen from the effects on the live animals placed aboard the ships some of which still are dying despite treatment three weeks after they were exposed to the first bomb As the first task force awaits on the eve of this second test one cannot irela but conjecture upon upon the possible effects of this unpredictable and still unknown terrific nuclear force which can decimate entire cities and depopulate nations as has been amply demonstrated at hiroshima and nagasaki the first test proved beyond any doubt that the bomb was not as effective in the open space at sea as it is when detonated over heavily populated areas on land that used against naval bases on land it could render a fleet at sea impotent but that it would put out of commission a good many ships if they were in close formation and that loss of life aboard these ships would be terrific what effect this atomic energy will have on the future of the american navy as to ship construction and operations now however lies des in the laps of the military evaluation board and the presidents atomic energy commission both of which or alq making a study for future guidance we can only hope that medical scientists and other scientists here tor for observation will glean from peacetime peace time tim e application which can bring benefits and not destruction from this new war born source of f energy |