Due to its remoteness, as well as domestic and foreign policy courses conducted by the leadership of Australia, news about this country rarely appears on the news feeds. Currently, the government of the Green Continent has practically withdrawn from participation in major world-class events, preferring to spend resources on developing its economy and improving the well-being of its own citizens.
But it was not always so. After the end of World War II, Australia played a more prominent role in world politics. As one of the closest allies of the United States, this country contributed its military contingents to participate in the hostilities on the Korean Peninsula and in Indochina. Also, together with the United States and Great Britain, ambitious programs for the creation of various types of weapons were implemented in Australia, and large training grounds were created on Australian territory. It was in Australia that the first British nuclear tests were carried out.
At a certain stage in the creation of the atomic bomb, the Americans, within the framework of allied relations, shared information with the British. But after the death of Roosevelt, his oral agreement with Churchill on cooperation between the two countries in this area became invalid. In 1946, the United States passed the Atomic Energy Act, which banned the transfer of nuclear technology and fissile materials to other countries. However, soon, given that Great Britain was the closest ally of the United States, some concessions were made in relation to it. And after the news of the nuclear test in the USSR, the Americans began to provide direct assistance in the creation of British nuclear weapons. The "Mutual Defense Agreement" concluded in 1958 between the United States and Great Britain led to the fact that British specialists and scientists received the greatest possible access for foreigners to American nuclear secrets and laboratory research. This made it possible to make dramatic progress in creating a British nuclear potential.
The British nuclear program was officially launched in 1947. By that time, British scientists already had an idea of the design and characteristics of the first American atomic bombs, and it was only a matter of the practical implementation of this knowledge. The British immediately decided to focus on creating a more compact and promising implosive plutonium bomb. The process of building British nuclear weapons was greatly facilitated by the fact that Britain had unlimited access to the rich uranium mines in the Belgian Congo. Work proceeded at a high pace, and the first British experimental plutonium charge was ready in the second half of 1952.
Since the territory of the British Isles, due to the high population density and the unpredictability of the consequences of the explosion, was not suitable for conducting nuclear tests, the British turned to their closest allies and formal dominions: Canada and Australia. According to British experts, the uninhabited, sparsely populated areas of Canada were better suited for testing a nuclear explosive device, but the Canadian authorities categorically refused to conduct a nuclear explosion at home. The Australian government turned out to be more accommodating, and it was decided to conduct a British nuclear test explosion in Australia on the Monte Bello Islands.
The first British nuclear test was imprinted by naval specifics. Unlike the United States, in the 1950s, the British outnumbered Soviet bombers, which had to fly over all of Europe, crammed with American British and French air bases, feared submarines that could covertly approach the coast of Great Britain and strike with nuclear torpedoes. Therefore, the first British nuclear test explosion was underwater, British admirals wanted to assess the possible consequences of a nuclear explosion off the coast - in particular, its impact on ships and coastal facilities.
In preparation for the explosion, the nuclear charge was suspended under the bottom of the decommissioned frigate HMS Plym (K271), anchored 400 meters from Timorien Island, which is part of the Monte Bello archipelago. Measuring devices were installed on the shore in protective structures.
The nuclear test under the symbol "Uragan" took place on October 3, 1952, the explosion power was about 25 kt in TNT equivalent. On the seabed, at the epicenter, a crater 6 m deep and about 150 m in diameter was formed. Although the first British nuclear explosion took place in the immediate vicinity of the coast, the radiation pollution of Timorien Island was relatively small. Within a year and a half, radiation safety experts decided that a long stay of people was possible here.
In 1956, two more British nuclear warheads were detonated on the Timorien and Alpha islands as part of Operation Mosaic. The purpose of these tests was to work out the elements and design solutions, which were later used in the creation of thermonuclear bombs. On May 16, 1956, a 15 kt nuclear explosion vaporized a 31 m high tower assembled from an aluminum profile on Timorien Island.
According to American sources, it was a "scientific experiment" designated G1. A side effect of the "experiment" was the fallout of radioactive fallout in the northern part of Australia.
Due to the high radioactive contamination of the terrain on Timorien, the neighboring island of Alpha was chosen for repeated testing. During the G2 test, which took place on June 19, 1956, the calculated explosion power was exceeded by about 2.5 times and reached 60 kt (98 kt according to unconfirmed data). This charge used a "puff" of Lithium-6 Deuteride, and a shell from Uranium-238, which made it possible to dramatically increase the energy yield of the reaction. A metal tower was also built to house the charge. Since the tests were carried out under the supervision of the meteorological service, the explosion was made when the wind blew away from the mainland, and the radioactive cloud scattered over the ocean.
The islands, where nuclear tests were carried out, were closed to the public until 1992. According to data published in the Australian media, the radiation background in this place already in 1980 did not pose a particular danger. But radioactive fragments of concrete and metal structures remained on the islands. After decontamination and reclamation of the area, the experts came to the conclusion that the area can be considered safe. In 2006, environmentalists admitted that nature has fully recovered from the consequences of nuclear tests, and the level of radiation in the area of the Monte Bello archipelago, with the exception of small spots, has become close to natural. Over the past years, there are practically no visually visible traces of tests on the islands. A commemorative stele was installed at the test site on Alpha Island. Now the islands are open to the public, fishing is carried out in the coastal waters.
Although three nuclear tests were carried out on the islands and in the sea area of the Monte Bello archipelago, after the first explosion it turned out that the area was unsuccessful for the construction of a permanent test site. The area of the islands was small, and each new nuclear explosion, due to the radiation pollution of the area, forced us to move to another island. This caused difficulties with the delivery of goods and materials, and the bulk of the personnel was located on ships. Under these conditions, it was extremely difficult to deploy a serious laboratory-measuring base, without which the tests would have largely lost their meaning. In addition, due to the prevailing wind rose in the area, there was a high risk of radioactive fallout on settlements on the northern coast of Australia.
Beginning in 1952, the British began searching for a site to build a permanent nuclear test site. For this, an area of 450 km northwest of Adelaide, in the southern part of the continent, was chosen. This area was suitable for testing due to climatic conditions and due to its remoteness from large settlements. An iron line passed nearby, and there were several airstrips.
Since the British were in a great hurry to build up and improve their nuclear potential in terms of reliability and efficiency, work proceeded at a high pace. The original test site was an area in the Victoria Desert known as Emu Field. In 1952, a 2 km long runway and a residential settlement were built here on the site of a dried-up lake. The distance from the experimental field, where nuclear explosive devices were tested, to the residential village and the airfield was 18 km.
During Operation Totem in Emu Field, two nuclear devices installed on steel towers 31 m high were detonated. The main purpose of the tests was to determine empirically the minimum amount of plutonium required for a nuclear charge. The "hot" tests were preceded by a series of five practical experiments with radioactive materials that did not have a critical mass. In the course of experiments to develop the design of neutron initiators, a certain amount of Polonium-210 and Uranium-238 was sprayed on the ground.
The first nuclear test at Emu Field, scheduled for October 1, 1953, was repeatedly postponed due to weather conditions and took place on October 15. Energy release reached 10 kt, which was about 30% higher than planned. The explosion cloud rose to a height of about 5000 m and, due to the lack of wind, dissipated very slowly. This led to the fact that a significant part of the radioactive dust raised by the explosion fell out in the vicinity of the test site. Apparently, the nuclear test "Totem-1", despite the relatively low power, turned out to be very "dirty". Territories at a distance of up to 180 km from the point of explosion were subjected to strong radioactive contamination. The so-called "black fog" reached Wellbourne Hill, where the Australian aborigines suffered from it.
To take radioactive samples from the cloud, 5 Avro Lincoln piston bombers based at Richmond AFB were used. At the same time, the samples collected in special filters turned out to be very "hot", and the crews received significant radiation doses.
Due to the high level of radiation pollution, the skin of the aircraft was intensively decontaminated. Even after decontamination, the aircraft participating in the tests had to be kept in a separate parking lot. They were found suitable for further use after a few months. In parallel with the Avro Lincoln, the English Electric Canberra B.20 jet bomber was used to measure radiation levels at high altitudes. Along the way with the British, the United States was in control of the tests. For this, two Voeing B-29 Superfortress bombers and two military transport Douglas C-54 Skymaster were involved.
Another "hero" of nuclear tests was the Mk 3 Centurion Type K tank. The combat vehicle, taken from the line unit of the Australian Army, was installed 460 m from the turret with a nuclear charge. Inside the tank there was a full ammunition load, the tanks were filled with fuel, and the engine was running.
Oddly enough, the tank was not fatally damaged as a result of the atomic explosion. Moreover, according to British sources, its engine stalled only after running out of fuel. A shock wave of an armored vehicle, which was facing the front, was deployed, tore off attachments, disabled optical devices and the chassis. After the radiation level in the vicinity subsided, the tank was evacuated, thoroughly decontaminated and re-commissioned. This machine, despite participating in nuclear tests, managed to serve for another 23 years, of which 15 months as part of the Australian contingent in South Vietnam. During one of the battles "Centurion" was hit by a cumulative grenade from an RPG. Although one crew member was wounded, the tank remained operational. Now the tank is installed as a monument on the territory of the Australian military base Robertson Barax east of the city of Darwin.
The second nuclear test at the Emu Field experimental field took place on October 27, 1953. According to calculations, the power of the explosion should have been 2-3 kt in TNT equivalent, but the actual energy release reached 10 kt. The explosion cloud rose to 8500 m, and because of the strong wind at this height, it quickly dissipated. Since the experts considered that a sufficient amount of materials had been collected during the first test, only two British Avro Lincoln and one American B-29 Superfortress were involved in collecting atmospheric samples.
As a result of tests carried out in 1953, the British gained the necessary experience and theoretical knowledge to create nuclear bombs suitable for practical use and operation in the army.
The first serial British atomic bomb "Blue Danube" had a length of 7, 8 m, and weighed about 4500 kg. The charge power varied from 15 to 40 kt. When placing a bomb on a bomber, the plumage of the stabilizer folded and opened after dropping. They were carried by Vickers Valiant bombers.
Although the test results at Emu Field were deemed successful, testing in the area was very challenging. Although in the vicinity of the nuclear test site there was an airstrip capable of receiving heavy aircraft, a lot of time and effort had to be spent on the delivery of bulky cargo, fuel and materials. The base's Australian and British personnel, with a total of about 700, needed a lot of water. Water was needed not only for drinking and hygiene purposes, but also for carrying out decontamination measures. Since there was no normal road, heavy and bulky goods had to be delivered across the sand dunes and rocky desert by tracked and wheeled vehicles with all-terrain vehicles. Logistics problems and radiation pollution of the area led to the fact that the landfill was soon dismantled. Already in November 1953, the Australians left the area, and the British curtailed work by the end of December. The main laboratory equipment suitable for further use was exported to the UK or to the Maraling landfill. A side effect of the explosions at the Emu Field experimental field was the establishment of radiological monitoring posts throughout Australia.
In the 21st century, the surrounding area of Emu Field became accessible to organized tourist groups. However, a long stay of people in this area is not recommended. Also, for reasons of radiation safety, tourists are prohibited from picking up stones and any objects on the territory of the former nuclear test site.
