Operation Teapot
Encyclopedia
Operation Teapot was a series of fourteen nuclear test explosions conducted at the Nevada Test Site
in the first half of 1955.
During shot "Wasp", ground forces took part in Exercise Desert Rock VI which included an armored task force "Razor" moving to within 900 meters of ground zero, under the still-forming mushroom cloud
.
The Civil Defense "Apple-2" shot on 5 May 1955 was intended to test various building construction types (nicknamed as "Survival Town") in a nuclear blast. A few of the buildings still stand at Area 1, Nevada Test Site. A documentary film was produced showing the buildings being damaged by the blast; in the film, the test is called "Operation Cue". Stock footage from the nuclear test was used in the 1983 TV movie The Day After
during the explosion sequence.
An augmented test unit
from the United States Marine Corps
participated in Shot "Bee" during the March 1955 exercises.
The notable MET (Military Effects Test, shown in all images at right) was the first bomb core to use uranium-233 (a rarely used fissile isotope that is the product of thorium-232 neutron absorption), along with plutonium. It produced a yield comparable to the "Fat Man
" plutonium weapon exploded over Nagasaki, but a third less than the expected amount
.
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This series preceded Wigwam
and followed Operation Castle
. The shots of this series were:
Nevada Test Site
The Nevada National Security Site , previously the Nevada Test Site , is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas...
in the first half of 1955.
During shot "Wasp", ground forces took part in Exercise Desert Rock VI which included an armored task force "Razor" moving to within 900 meters of ground zero, under the still-forming mushroom cloud
Mushroom cloud
A mushroom cloud is a distinctive pyrocumulus mushroom-shaped cloud of condensed water vapor or debris resulting from a very large explosion. They are most commonly associated with nuclear explosions, but any sufficiently large blast will produce the same sort of effect. They can be caused by...
.
The Civil Defense "Apple-2" shot on 5 May 1955 was intended to test various building construction types (nicknamed as "Survival Town") in a nuclear blast. A few of the buildings still stand at Area 1, Nevada Test Site. A documentary film was produced showing the buildings being damaged by the blast; in the film, the test is called "Operation Cue". Stock footage from the nuclear test was used in the 1983 TV movie The Day After
The Day After
The Day After is a 1983 American television movie which aired on November 20, 1983, on the ABC television network. It was seen by more than 100 million people during its initial broadcast....
during the explosion sequence.
An augmented test unit
Marine Corps Test Unit
The Marine Corps Test Unit 1, or MCTU #1, was an experimental testing unit of the United States Marine Corps. It was established outside the Fleet Marine Force for the development of specialized tactics, techniques and organizational concepts, and to evaluate its tangible employment in the nuclear...
from the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
participated in Shot "Bee" during the March 1955 exercises.
The notable MET (Military Effects Test, shown in all images at right) was the first bomb core to use uranium-233 (a rarely used fissile isotope that is the product of thorium-232 neutron absorption), along with plutonium. It produced a yield comparable to the "Fat Man
Fat Man
"Fat Man" is the codename for the atomic bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan, by the United States on August 9, 1945. It was the second of the only two nuclear weapons to be used in warfare to date , and its detonation caused the third man-made nuclear explosion. The name also refers more...
" plutonium weapon exploded over Nagasaki, but a third less than the expected amount
Fizzle (nuclear test)
In nuclear weapons, a fizzle occurs when the testing of a nuclear bomb fails to meet its expected yield. The reason for the failure can be linked to improper bomb design, poor construction, or lack of expertise. All countries that have had a nuclear weapons testing program have experienced fizzles...
.
Operation Wigwam
Operation Wigwam involved a single test of the Mark 90 Betty nuclear bomb. It was conducted between Operation Teapot and Operation Redwing on May 14, 1955, about 500 miles southwest of San Diego, California. 6,800 personnel aboard 30 ships were involved in Wigwam...
and followed Operation Castle
Operation Castle
Operation Castle was a United States series of high-energy nuclear tests by Joint Task Force SEVEN at Bikini Atoll beginning in March 1954...
. The shots of this series were:
| Name | Date | Location | Yield | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wasp | 18 February 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 7) | 1.2 kilotons | |
| Moth | 22 February 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 3) | 2 kilotons | |
| Tesla | 1 March 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 9) | 7 kilotons | |
| Turk | 7 March 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 2 Area 2 Area 2 is a division of the Nevada Test Site in the Mojave Desert. The area is located 18 miles south-east of Area 51.Area 2 was the site of 144 tests comprising 169 detonations. Shot "Gabbs", intended for 1993, was abandoned in place.... ) | 43 kilotons | |
| Hornet | 12 March 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 3) | 4 kilotons | |
| Bee | 22 March 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 7) | 8 kilotons | |
| Ess | 23 March 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 10) | 1.2 kilotons | |
| Apple-1 | 29 March 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 4) | 14 kilotons | Failed |
| Wasp Prime | 29 March 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 7) | 3.2 kilotons | |
| Ha | 6 April 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 1) | 3.2 kilotons | |
| Post | 9 April 1955 | Nevada Test Site(Area 9) | 2 kilotons | |
| MET | 15 April 1955 | Nevada Test Site | 22 kilotons | Uranium-233 Uranium-233 Uranium-233 is a fissile isotope of uranium, bred from Thorium as part of the thorium fuel cycle. It has been used in a few nuclear reactors and has been proposed for much wider use as a nuclear fuel. It has a half-life of 160,000 years.... /plutonium bomb core |
| Apple-2 | 5 May 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 1) | 29 kilotons | Rerun of Apple-1 |
| Zucchini | 15 May 1955 | Nevada Test Site (Area 7) | 28 kilotons | |