Operation Crossroads - Test Charlie

Test Charlie

Charlie was to explode deep under the surface in the lee of the atoll to test effects on unmoored ships. Charlie, originally scheduled for early 1947, would have tested the effects of using nuclear weapons as depth charges. Technical support personnel were unavailable because of the unanticipated decontamination delay following test Baker. There were no uncontaminated target ships available for use in Charlie. The official reason for canceling Charlie was that it was felt unnecessary after the success of the Able and Baker tests, and it was deemed less pressing when the entire US arsenal had only a handful of such weapons. The test intended for Charlie was conducted in 1955 as Operation Wigwam.

Read more about this topic:  Operation Crossroads

Famous quotes containing the word test:

    Our decision about energy will test the character of the American people and the ability of the President and the Congress to govern this nation. This difficult effort will be the “moral equivalent of war,” except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not to destroy.
    Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)