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Description

Ground and Areal Images of the First Atomic Bomb Dropped on Bikini Atoll

Vintage set of four photographs taken in the seconds following the detonation of the atomic bomb Gilda. The images show a rising mushroom cloud taken both from a B-17 Flying Fortresses and from remote cameras located on the Bikini Islands.

The two areal images show an exceedingly high mushroom cloud rising high above the islands, with the greenery of the Bikini Islands and the vast Pacific Ocean in the background. The land-based images show the same mushroom cloud, with various battleships stationed in the central lagoon.

Crossroads Able

The first post-war atomic bomb test, Crossroads Able was conducted on June 30th, 1946. The tests were the subject of intense government debate, with many arguing that conducting the test would lead to worsened relations with the Soviet Union (not to mention the environmental impacts). However, President Truman finally ordered Able to go ahead by the end of June.

Operations Crossroads was designed to test the effects of nuclear weapons on warships. As such, Able was detonated over water near a series of ships. Nearly 450 million dollars worth of ships were used as targets, stationed in a high density so that the effects of the blast could be accurately measured as a function of distance from the detonation.

The Fat Man-type atomic bomb used in the test, Gilda, missed the target ship by about 710 yards, likely due to a calculation error by the bombing crew. As such, only two ships were sunk initially sunk (with several more sinking over the coming weeks), leading many to view the test as a failure. However, it was still argued that sufficient data had been collected to make the tests worthwhile. Less than a month following Able, Crossroads Baker would be conducted at the same location to test the viability of underwater detonation.

Condition Description
Four gelatin silver prints.