OPERATION DOMINIC I AND II

'Operation Dominic' was a series of 105 nuclear test explosions conducted in 1962 and 1963 by the United States. Those conducted in the Pacific are sometimes called 'Dominic I'. The blasts in Nevada are known as 'Dominic II'. This test series was scheduled quickly, in order to take advantage of the Soviet abandonment of the 1958-61 test moratorium. Most of these shots were conducted with free-fall bombs dropped from B-52 bomber aircraft. Twenty of these shots were to test new weapons designs; six to test weapons effects; and several shots to confirm the reliability of existing weapons. The Thor missile was also used to loft warheads into near-space to conduct high altitude nuclear explosion tests; these shots were collectively called 'Operation Fishbowl'.^[1]

Operation Dominic occurred during a period of high Cold War tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, since the Cuban Bay of Pigs Invasion had occurred not long before. Nikita Khrushchev announced the end of a three-year moratorium on nuclear testing on August 30, 1961, and Soviet tests recommenced on 1 September, initiating a series of tests that included the detonation of the Tsar Bomba. President John F. Kennedy responded by authorizing Operation Dominic. It was the largest nuclear weapons testing program ever conducted by the United States, and the last atmospheric test series conducted by the U.S., as the Limited Test Ban Treaty was signed in Moscow the following year.

'Dominic I & II Test Blasts'

Test Name	Date	Location	Yield	Note
''Adobe''	25 April 1962	Christmas Island	190 kilotons
''Aztec''	27 April 1962	Christmas Island	410 kilotons
''Black''	27 April 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Arkansas''	2 May 1962	Christmas Island	1090 kilotons
''Questa''	4 May 1962	Christmas Island	670 kilotons
''Frigate Bird''	6 May 1962	Pacific Test Range	600 kilotons	Polaris A2 Missile launched from the submarine USS ''Ethan Allen''. Only operational test of a United States ballistic missile.
''Paca''	7 May 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Yukon''	8 May 1962	Christmas Island	100 kilotons
''Mesilla''	9 May 1962	Christmas Island	100 kilotons
''Arikaree''	10 May 1962	Christmas Island	Unknown
''Muskegon''	11 May 1962	Christmas Island	50 kilotons
''Swordfish''	11 May 1962	off San Diego	<20 kilotons	RUR-5 ASROC from USS Agerholm (DD-826) at a range of only 4,000 yards.
''Encino''	12 May 1962	Christmas Island	500 kilotons
''Aardvark''	12 May 1962	Nevada Test Site	40 kilotons
''Swanee''	14 May 1962	Christmas Island	97 kilotons
''Eel''	19 May 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Chetco''	19 May 1962	Christmas Island	73 kilotons
''White''	25 May 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Tanana''	25 May 1962	Christmas Island	‘Fizzled’
''Nambe''	27 May 1962	Christmas Island	43 kilotons
''Racoon''	1 June 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Bluegill''	3 June 1962	Johnston Atoll	‘Failed’	Operation Fishbowl, tracking electronics failure 5 minutes after launch, detonated manually 10 minutes later
''Packrat''	6 June 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Alma''	8 June 1962	Christmas Island	782 kilotons
''Truckee''	9 June 1962	Christmas Island	210 kilotons
''Yeso''	10 June 1962	Christmas Island	3 megatons
''Harlem''	12 June 1962	Christmas Island	1.2 megatons
''Des Moines''	13 June 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Rinconada''	15 June 1962	Christmas Island	800 kilotons
''Dulce''	17 June 1962	Christmas Island	52 kilotons
''Petit''	19 June 1962	Christmas Island	‘Failed’
''Starfish''	20 June 1962	Johnston Atoll	‘Failed’	Operation Fishbowl, rocket motor failure
''Daman I''	21 June 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Otowi''	21 June 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Bighorn''	27 June 1962	Christmas Island	7.65 megatons
''Haymaker''	27 June 1962	Nevada Test Site	67 kilotons
''Marshmallow''	28 June 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Bluestone''	30 June 1962	Christmas Island	1.27 megatons
''Sacramento''	30 June 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Sedan''	6 July 1962	Nevada Test Site	140 kilotons	Operation Plowshare
''Little Feller II''	7 July 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Starfish Prime''	9 July 1962	Johnston Atoll	1.4 megatons	Operation Fishbowl, , caused artificial aurora borealis and power outages in Hawaii
''Sunset''	10 July 1962	Christmas Island	1 megaton
''Pamlico''	11 July 1962	Christmas Island	3.88 megatons	successful advanced principles test of high-efficiency thermonuclear weapon, last Christmas Island airdrop
''Johnnie Boy''	11 July 1962	Nevada Test Site	500 tons
''Merrimac''	13 July 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Small Boy''	14 July 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Little Feller I''	17 July 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Bluegill Prime''	25 July 1962	Johnston Atoll	‘Failed’	Operation Fishbowl, detonated on launch pad by range safety officers shortly after ignition due to rocket motor failure, destroyed the Thor launch facility and contaminated it with plutonium, requiring three months of repairs and decontamination
''Wichita''	27 July 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Housatonic''	27 July 1962	Johnston Atoll	8.3 megatons
''York''	24 August 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Bobac''	24 August 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Raritan''	6 September 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Hyrax''	4 September 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Peba''	20 September 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Tocito''	—	Christmas Island	—	Cancelled
''Allegany''	29 September 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Mississippi''	5 October 1962	Nevada Test Site	115 kilotons
''Bumping''	6 October 1962	Johnston Atoll	11.3 kilotons
''Roanoke''	12 October 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Wolverine''	12 October 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Bluegill Double Prime''	15 October 1962	Johnston Island	‘Failed’	Operation Fishbowl, missile tumbled out of control due to failure of a booster rocket 86 seconds after launch, destroyed manually 156 seconds after launch with minor radioactive contamination of the island
''Chama''	18 October 1962	Johnston Atoll	1.59 megatons
''Tioga''	18 October 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Bandicoot''	19 October 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Checkmate''	20 October 1962	Johnston Atoll	7 kt	Operation Fishbowl, high altitude nuclear explosion, 147 km altitude, XM-33 Strypi rocket with an Army Recruit booster, XW-50X1 warhead, no fireball
''Bluegill Triple Prime''	26 October 1962	Johnston Atoll	410 kiloton	Operation Fishbowl, high altitude nuclear explosion, 50 km altitude, Thor missile, W50 warhead, fireball formed, large disruption of ionosphere did not occur
''Santee''	27 October 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Calamity''	27 October 1962	Johnston Atoll	800 kilotons
''Kingfish''	1 November 1962	Johnston Atoll	410 kiloton	Operation Fishbowl, high altitude nuclear explosion, 97 km altitude, Thor missile with W-50 warhead, dramatic aurora-like effects, extensive ionosphere disruption, radio communication over central Pacific disrupted for over 3 hours
''Tightrope''	4 November 1962	Johnston Atoll	between 1-40 kiloton	Operation Fishbowl, 21 km (69000 ft) altitude, Nike Hercules missile with a W-31 warhead, test of a missile defense system, regarded to be the last true US atmospheric nuclear test
''Saint Louis''	9 November 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Gundi''	15 November 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Anacostia''	27 November 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown	Operation Plowshare
''Taunton''	4 December 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Tendrac''	7 December 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Madison''	12 December 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Numbat''	12 December 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Manatee''	12 December 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Casselman''	8 February 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Acushi''	8 February 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Ferret''	8 February 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Hatchie''	8 February 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Chipmunk''	15 February 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Kaweah''	21 February 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown	Operation Plowshare
''Carmel''	21 February 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Jerboa''	1 March 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Toyah''	15 March 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Gerbil''	29 March 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Ferret Prime''	5 April 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Coyfu''	10 April 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Cumberland''	11 April 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Kootanai''	24 April 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Paisano''	24 April 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Gundi Prime''	9 May 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Double Tracks''	15 May 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Harkee''	17 May 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Tejon''	17 May 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Stones''	22 May 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Clean Slate I''	25 May 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Pleasant''	29 May 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Clean Slate II''	31 May 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Yuba''	5 June 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Hutia''	6 June 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Apshapa''	6 June 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Clean Slate III''	9 June 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Mataco''	14 June 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
''Kennebec''	25 June 1963	Nevada Test Site	Unknown

Contents

References

External links

References

1. Space ghost Dwayne A. Day

External links

★ Operation Dominic at Cary Sublette's NuclearWeaponArchive.org

★ More info on U.S. testing