Nuclear Test Film - Operation Wigwam (1955)

★★★★ · Dry Narration But Still Fascinating · Pleonic · 2010-12-28

Wigwam was a single test designed to see how feasible it was to attack submarines with nuclear depth charges. The weapon used was the Mark 90 "Betty" device, a device yielding between 5 and 10 kilotons. This was it's only full fledged test by the military. The test was conducted on May 14, 1955 in an area of ocean only 500 miles west-southwest of San Diego, CA. Rather than using actual subs for the test, 3 specially built dummy subs called "squaws" wear constructed at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard and towed to the test spot. Except for the very beginning and end, this film is narrated by the…