Atom Bomb Test Ships At Bikini Still Dangerous

Wanganui Chronicle, 22 January 1947, Page 5

Atom Bomb Test Ships At Bikini Still Dangerous

Received 8 p.m. WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 Hazards due to continuing radio Activity of the Bikini atoll bomb test ships are so great that it will probably be unsafe to sell them, even for scrap metal.

If a warship comes within range of an atom bomb its davs of usefulness are over, even though, structurally, it is virtually undamaged. A United States Navy spokesman said this was the “logical conclusion’’

> of the tests on the Bikini target ships. • | Radio activity -.persisted to such a dangerous degree that when their . value for study had ended the entire Bikini fleet would either be scuttled or used lor target practice. It was feared that, no matter how low the ( radio activity might become, uncontrolled disposition of the ships in the

scrap market might expose the Government to hugh damage suits by workmen who might contract radiological poisoning. It is proposed to transfer some of the target ships to Pearl Harbour for further examination. Experimental rats from the navy’s medical research centre are still living under control conditions aboard some of the ships.