After the Trinity test and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Operation Crossroads was the fourth and fifth nuclear explosions in history. Able and Baker were the names of the two detonations. With a yield of 21 kt for Able and 23 kt for Baker, the detonations were similar in yield to the Trinity test (20 kilotons of TNT equivalent), Hiroshima (13 kt), and Nagasaki (21 kt). Small fleets of derelict ships were the targets of Operation Crossroads, which took place in the Marshall Islands.
Operation Crossroads was the first time nuclear weapons were detonated at sea, and it was also the first time nuclear weapons tests were announced in advance. The tests took place on July 1, 1946, for Able, and July 25, 1946, for Baker. Charlie, a third test, was slated to take place but was subsequently canceled for undisclosed reasons.
For many who were not present at the Trinity test, Operation Crossroads was their first opportunity to see the effects of a nuclear explosion at sea, and for many who were not present at the Trinity test, it was their first time seeing a nuclear explosion in person. With the United States and the Soviet Union’s rivalry growing, many people thought nuclear weapons could be used in a war again. The US desired a strong advantage and to maintain its technological lead in nuclear weapons.
One aerial test (Able), where the bomb was detonated at a height of 520 feet (158 meters), and one submarine test (Baker), which took place 90 feet (27 meters) underwater. Baker was dispatched by the LSM-60, a landing ship that had previously served in the invasion of Iwo Jima and was the first ship to fire a nuclear weapon. During the explosion, LSM-60 remained in place and was completely vaporized.
The Able sank five ships: the Imperial Japanese Navy cruiser Sakawa, the USS Anderson, the USS Lamson, the USS Carlisle, and the USS Gilliam. Nagato, an Imperial Japanese Navy battleship, USS Arkansas, USS Saratoga, USS Apogon, USS Pilotfish, USS LSM-60, and District Craft YO-160 were among the seven ships sunk by Baker. The Prinz Eugen survived both tests, but was so radioactive afterward that repairing the ship’s leaks would have been impossible, and the ship capsized off the coast of the Kwajalein Atoll.