Operation Wigwam
Overview
Mark 90 Betty nuclear bomb
The Mark 90 nuclear bomb, given the nickname "Betty", was a cold war nuclear depth charge, developed by the United States in 1952.It had a length of 10 ft 2 in, a diameter of 2 ft 7.5 in, and a weight of 1,243 lb, and it carried a Mark 7 nuclear warhead with a yield of 5-10 kilotons...
. It was conducted between Operation Teapot
Operation Teapot
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...
and Operation Redwing
Operation Redwing
Operation Redwing was a United States series of 17 nuclear test detonations from May to July 1956. They were conducted at Bikini and Enewetak atolls. The entire operation followed Operation Wigwam and preceded Operation Plumbbob. The primary intention was to test new, second-generation...
on May 14, 1955, about 500 miles southwest of San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. 6,800 personnel aboard 30 ships were involved in Wigwam. The purpose of Wigwam was to determine the vulnerability of submarines to deeply-detonated nuclear weapons, and to evaluate the feasibility of using such weapons in a combat situation.
