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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Crossroads Baker, "Helen of Bikini"

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1647205· OSTI ID:1647205
Test Baker, the underwater detonation of a Fat Man bomb nicknamed Helen of Bikini by an anonymous “Kilroy,” took place on July 25, 1946. Encased in a bathysphere fashioned from a submarine conning tower and suspended ninety feet below the surface of Bikini’s lagoon, Helen of Bikini was spectacular. Her energy burst through the lagoon surface at 11,000 ft. /sec pushing over two million cubic yards of radioactive seawater and sediment to a height of 4,300 feet within sixty seconds. Nine vessels were sunk and an additional five ships were physically destroyed, although still afloat. When it collapsed, the column of radioactive sediment and seawater spread over the surviving ships permanently contaminating them. Helen of Bikini destroyed the entire fleet of target vessels.
Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
89233218CNA000001
OSTI ID:
1647205
Report Number(s):
LA-UR--20-26145
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English