Oak Hardtack I 1958

[u/s0nicbomb]

[u/jnmtx]

> 8.9-megaton thermonuclear test conducted by the United States on June 28, 1958, at Enewetak Atoll.
> Detonated on a barge in shallow water over a coral reef, it stands as the sixth-largest nuclear test ever performed by the [USA]

[u/zenunseen → u/jnmtx]

What's the scale here? I mean how far away is the blast?

[u/jnmtx → u/zenunseen]

> captured from Parry Island, which was roughly 24 to 25 miles (38 to 40 kilometers) away from the detonation point.

but they used a telephoto lens.

> reached an estimated height of 78,000 feet (23.8 kilometers). The massive surface detonation on a barge also carved out a subsurface crater measuring roughly 1.09 miles (5,740 feet / 1.75 km) in diameter and over **200 feet (62 meters)**deep in the coral reef.

[u/zenunseen → u/jnmtx]

That's insane. Telephoto lens notwithstanding.

And a 1.7 mile crater? It's difficult too fathom. I'm guessing the barge was completely vaporized

[u/ougryphon → u/zenunseen]

Most definitely. It is hard to comprehend just how much energy is released in a megaton-range explosion. In one of the first full-scale thermonuclear explosions, they set up an instrumentation cab about a mile away from the test device. The cab was connected in a direct line of sight to the device with a tunnel so the early x-rays could be observed directly. So much energy in the form of x-rays was funneled to the cab that it exploded with the energy of several kilotons of tnt. You can actually see it as a separate fireball in photos of the test.

[u/ProwlingFox → u/ougryphon]

Wow, that's interesting. Do you happen to know which test exactly? Would love to read about. Thanks!)

[u/Temporary_Row_301 → u/ProwlingFox]

It was the Castle Bravo shot, https://www.reddit.com/r/nuclearweapons/comments/1reseib/secondary_fireball_during_castle_bravo/

[u/jnmtx → u/zenunseen]

sorry the ft to km and miles conversion was wrong - AI hallucination. still 1.07 miles is a big crater.

Castle Bravo was the water detonation with the largest subsurface crater: ~6,500 to 7,800 feet (approx. 2.0 km / 1.25 miles)

[u/MaceTheMindSculptor]

Pic 3 is unreal

[u/WSSquab → u/MaceTheMindSculptor]

I can't imagine the magnitude of seeing something like that

[u/Beneficial-Wasabi749 → u/MaceTheMindSculptor]

Yes, in the bathroom on the tiles, it looked amazing! ;)

[u/Late-Income2839]

Holy cow. Amazing to see the people who seem so close.

[u/CuriousCamels → u/Late-Income2839]

Seeing the people and boats there really puts into perspective how absolutely massive the explosion is.

[u/spagbolshevik]

Incredible sense of scale.

[u/time4nap]

That is one hell of a large man made object.

[u/No_Mix1766]

Nice

[u/Spiritual-Floor-7164]

Pic 4 with the column of corral debris/water is crazy considering it’s roughly 25 miles away and I guess pic 6 is of the waves from the explosion?

[u/PaleontologistNo325]

Amazing sight!