Operation Hurricane

Hurricane device

Test deviceUnited KingdomImplosion fission

No freely licensed photo of this device yet.

Yield · TNT equivalent25 kt

Key specs

Country: United Kingdom
Design: Implosion fission
Type: Test device
Number built: 1

Overview

Britain’s first nuclear test: a 25 kt plutonium implosion device set off in the hull of the frigate HMS Plym off the Monte Bello Islands in October 1952, to simulate a bomb smuggled into a port. It made the United Kingdom the third nuclear power.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 25 kt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 220 m
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 1.5 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 2.1 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 2.5 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 6.4 km

Estimated ground ranges for an air burst at the optimum height over flat, open ground, computed from the yield with standard scaling laws. These are not measurements: real effects depend on the height of burst, terrain, buildings and weather.

Formulas from: Glasstone & Dolan, The Effects of Nuclear Weapons (1977), chapter II; Carey Sublette, Nuclear Weapons FAQ, section 5

Tests and use

Date	Event	Site	Yield
Oct 3, 1952	Operation Hurricane	Monte Bello Islands, Australia	25 kt

Sources

Operation Hurricane, Wikipedia