The Second Bomb Exploded

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26214, 26 July 1946, Page 5

The Second Bomb Exploded

AN AWE-INSPIRING SPECTACLE

Huge Column Shot Skywards

(Rec. 11 p.m.) BIKINI, July 25. The submarine atomic bomb detonated with a giant roar precisely at 8.35 a.m., Bikini time, as scheduled. It was a tremendous explosion, completely obliterating the target area. An official broadcast said that the waterspout took an entirely different shape from that of the aerial burst. Rocketing upwards 8000ft* a cloud hung over Bikini. The outer row of target ships were the first to appear from the awesome haze, showing that at least some of the ships survived the blast.

Another broadcast said that the column reached 5000 ft, with a diameter at the base of 2136 ft. There was no evidence that any of the ships were blown into the air, although they might have been and been obscured by water and mist. The giant 100 ft waves that had been predicted apparently failed to materialise. The broadcaster said that apparently one transport was missing. Observers saw a huge area of green water surrounding the detonation centre, apparently caused by the crushing of. plant life under the violent pressure of the atomic bomb. ,

The Associated Press correspondent said the bomb churned up a column of white water half a mile wide. The column shot up with incredible speed for nearly a mile, and then began to mushroom to two miles at the top, with millions of stalactites of spray plunging to the sea. As seen from a distance of 10 miles, these streamers appeared to be light pink near the tips. The steam base of the waterspout spread over the entire target fleet in less than a minute. Half a mile high and pure white, it spread faster than the waves, and the target ships did not appear to move as the misty curtain fell on all except the battleship New York, which visibly began to careen to starboard. Then the fog hid her.