Operation Wigwam - Underwater Nuclear Test Film (1955)

Courtesy: U.S. Department of Energy

0800018 - Operation Wigwam, Commander's Report - 1955 - 35:45 - Color - The U.S. Navy, envisioning a war in which atomic depth charges would be used, wanted to learn how much of a nuclear blast a well-built submarine could take. The submarine Skate had not withstood the BAKER explosion of Operation Crossroads.

At a location listed as "N 29 degrees, W 126 degrees," about 500 miles southwest of San Diego, a deep underwater, weapons effects nuclear test, WIGWAM, rumbled through the ocean. A model submarine experiment submerged beneath a floating barge vanished after the 30-kiloton burst of power from Operation Wigwam on May 14, 1955.

A combination of high winds and rough seas prevented recovery of much of the test data. Approximately 6,500 personnel took part in this operation.

B-7 (Mk-90) Betty