(Hollywood Bombshell Rita Hayworth in her 1946 role of “Gilda.” The Fat Man A-Bomb used for the ABLE test at Bikini was named for her and her likeness was stenciled on the weapon prior to M-hour). We had abandoned ship the afternoon before the bomb dropped for Test ABLE. We were taken by landing craft […]

(Ex-Prinz Eugen in the lagoon at Bikini. Photo USN). The Navy Brass wanted to compare and contrast the survivability of both American and Axis ships, which is why the Nazi Hipper-class heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen was brought all the way from Europe for the test. By the time she arrived at Bikini, she was officially […]

The end of a dream is a hard thing to bear, even when you get used to the idea. I was thunderstruck when heather 2 leaned over and confided that we were in the last two weeks of operations at the best bar-restaurant I am likely to experience in this world. I am sure there […]

I will get to the amazing details regarding the first test at Bikini Atoll in the Operation CROSSROADS test series one of these mornings, but this is the non-operational and completely surreal debut of the Bomb, not as a secret, but as a media star- the first such outing of the Atomic Age. In contrast […]

The Last Cruise of the Battleship Nagato Part Three: Testing, One, Two Three… (VADM “Spike” Blandy, Commander, Joint Task force ONE) “The bomb will not start a chain-reaction in the water converting it all to gas and letting the ships on all the oceans drop down to the bottom. It will not blow out the […]

(Laura Beach on Eniwetok, Marshall Islands. Photo Wiki) By mid-morning on the 4th of April, 1946, we had channel fever and decided that the threat posed by a gigantic rogue wave- a tsunami- had passed. We entered the lagoon at Eniwetok Atoll under tow via the deep-water channel north of Parry Island. We were sporting […]

Late in the afternoon of March 30th a speck was seen on the horizon. A tug had found us! It took Sakawa in tow, and then slowly vanished over the blue disk of the horizon. Another tug appeared before midnight. I was glad the Captain told her to lie off until morning. When the sun […]

We got the tow-wire un-fouled from the turret with great difficulty. Hairless Joe the Bo’sun , his Mate the Lonesome Polecat, the Shipfitter and the First Lieutenant worked out onto the wave-swept blister, clutching at the overhead as swells hissed past. They rigged a chainfall and heaved round. It took more than an hour, since […]

As we accomplished the rig to rescue the casualty-plagued Sakawa, the weather became very clear and warm with the seas rising higher and bluer in hue. Occasionally a rogue wave would board us, sweeping along the alarmingly low freeboard caused by the flooding and counter-flooding we had done to keep Nagato upright and give her […]

(ex-IJN Nagato prepares to get underway in Yokosuka, March, 1946. Alongside is the tank lighter the battleship used for logistic support from the shore. Colorized Photo USN). We sailed from Yokosuka on 18 March, 1946, amid rain squalls. We slipped down the Sagami-wan navigating by time and compass with the cruiser Sakawa on in company […]