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Date: 21:34 UTC 24/07/1946 |
Type: Subsurface @-27m |
Yield: 23 Kt
Baker was encased in a watertight steel caisson, and suspended beneath a landing ship. Eight ships were sunk or capsized and eight more were severely damaged. The water column reached 600m wide and 2km high, holding a million tons of water. As water fell back from the stem, it formed a dense highly radioactive cloud called the "base surge", this caused the majority of the damage to the ships. A subsurface detonation was expected to be more destructive than the previous airburst, however the radioactive contamination of the lagoon was so severe, that the third "deep" test was cancelled.
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