Operation DOMINIC Nuclear Tests 1962

About

This Dominic I video provides a visual overview of 36 atmospheric nuclear devices detonated in the Pacific Proving Ground from April to November 1962. It was the last atmospheric nuclear test series conducted by the United States. Also, Dominic I was the largest and most elaborate U.S. testing operation ever conducted. In geographic terms, the diagnostic stations receiving data from the tests covering more than 15 million square miles.

According to the video, Operation Dominic I was prompted by the "Soviet resumption of testing in 1961 after a three-year moratorium." The three main purposes of the series were the "proof testing" of new weapon designs, mainly thermonuclear; obtaining weapons effects data as it related to the electromagnetic pulse phenomenon and attenuation of radar; and obtaining data related to the offensive and defensive aspects of an incoming ballistic missile in a detonation environment.

Dominic I tests were conducted in three general locations: Johnston Island, airdrop and high-altitude detonations; Christmas Island, staging area for 24 airdrop tests; and the open ocean, launch of a Polaris missile from a submarine and subsequent detonation of a device in a reentry vehicle, and the detonation of a device carried by an antisubmarine rocket (ASROC).

Approximately 28,000 military and civilian personnel participated in the test series. More than 200,000 tons of supplies, construction materials, and diagnostic equipment were shipped or airlifted to the test areas.

Most of the devices were detonated in the air after being dropped from a B-52 bomber. Five high-altitude bursts, designated as Operation Fishbowl tests, were lofted by rockets. Their purpose was to study the effects of nuclear detonations as defensive weapons against incoming ballistic missiles.

The tests comprising the 1962 Operation Dominic I were as follows:

ADOBE, April 25, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 190 kilotons (kt) AZTEC, April 27, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 410 kt ARKANSAS, May 2, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 1.09 megaton (Mt) QUESTA, May 4, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 670 kt FRIGATE BIRD, May 6, Pacific, rocket, weapons related YUKON, May 8, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 100 kt MESILLA, May 9, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 100 kt MUSKEGON, May 11, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 50 kt SWORDFISH, May 11, Pacific, underwater, weapons effects, low (less than 20 kt) ENCINO, May 12, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 500 kt SWANEE, May 14, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 97 kt CHETCO, May 19, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 73 kt TANANA, May 25, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 2.6 kt NAMBE, May 27, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 43 kt ALMA, June 8, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 782 kt TRUCKEE, June 9, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 210 kt YESO, June 10, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 3 megatons (Mt) HARLEM, June 12, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 1.2 Mt RINCONADA, June 15, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 800 kt DULCE, June 17, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 52 kt PETIT, June 19, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 2.2 kt OTOWI, June 22, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 81.5 kt BIGHORN, June 27, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 7.65 Mt BLUESTONE, June 30, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 1.27 Mt STARFISH PRIME, July 9, Johnston Island area, rocket, weapons effects, 1.4 Mt* SUNSET, July 10, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 1 Mt PAMLICO, July 11, Christmas Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 3.88 Mt ANDROSCOGGIN, October 2, Johnston Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 75 kt BUMPING, October 6, Johnston Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 11.3 kt CHAMA, October 18, Johnston Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 1.59 Mt CHECKMATE, October 20, Johnston Island area, rocket, weapons effects, low (less than 20 kt)* BLUEGILL 3 PRIME, October 26, Johnston Island area, rocket, weapons effects, submegaton (less than 1 Mt, but more than 200 kt)* CALAMITY, October 27, Johnston Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 800 kt HOUSATONIC, October 30, Johnston Island area, airdrop, weapons related, 8.3 Mt KINGFISH, November 1, Johnston Island area, rocket, weapons effects, submegaton (less than 1 Mt, but more than 200 kt)* TIGHTROPE, November 4, Johnston Island area, rocket, weapons effects, low (less than 20 kt)*

* Operation Fishbowl tests, the high altitude component of the DOMINIC I nuclear tests series

This film was made as a Joint Task Force 8 command report to the secret oversight committees of United States Congress and as a visual archive of the Department of Defense.

These nuclear testing operations culminated with the Cuban Missile Crisis, and reached the fiercest point the day of the Bluegill Triple Prime test of near 1 megaton was detonated. During the night of that same day (local Washington, DC time) of October 26, U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy met secretly with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin to make emergency negotiations at the Soviet embassy in Washington, DC. This dramatic meeting broke the crisis in a call from RFK to President John F. Kennedy, in JFK ordering the removal of obsolete, liquid fueled missiles from Turkey in return for a Soviet missile and troop withdrawal from Cuba. This compromise allowed Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev to save face in such a withdrawal, despite a cablegram sent from belligerent Cuban leader Fidel Castro to Mr. Krushchev, urging a Soviet nuclear attack against the United States.

Another extremely dangerous scenario of these tests was a concurrent Soviet series of tests at both Kapustin Yar and Novaya Zemlya, unleashing the greatest displays of combined megatons ever known. November 1 witnessed the carrying out of nuclear weapons tests by both sides on THE SAME DAY.

There were disturbing results in archiving these extremely historic events in color, related directly to the properties and instabilities of Kodachrome I film of the time. The pigments of these color films reacted with the lacquer coating meant to protect the films in common storage conditions, causing very disappointing fading of blue dye, as well as changes in other dye components in these films. Careful, cool storage conditions in top secret vaults would have prevented much of this film quality destruction, and especially if the problem were discovered before the early 1970s, when Kodachrome I films were discovered to experience such destruction.

Archive

Internet Archive, in Short films

Licence or status

CC BY-NC-ND 2.5, as the Internet Archive states it.

Rights statement

This film has a license because of the personal work in technical processes of digitally improving this film's quality. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ This license for "OperationDOMINICNuclearTests1962" or "Operation Dominic Nuclear Tests 1962" is held by administrators of the Nuclear Weapons Vault, the provider of this film.

Credit

Joint Task Force 8

Language

English

Who can watch

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