FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0788.PDF
Christmas Island Background to "Operation Grapple "1777 December Wednes. 24. On the24th, about half an hour after daybreak, land was discovered . . . it was found tobe one of those low islands so common in this ocean . . ." —Log of Capt. James Cook(then Lieut.), R.N. SINCE it was discovered by CaptainCook almost 180 years ago, ChristmasIsland, in the centre of the Pacific Ocean, has been sporadically used as aresting-place for the crews of whalers and —not very successfully—as a place to growcoconuts on a commercial scale. Although some 35 miles by 24 miles in extent it hasremained almost continuously uninhabited. Uninhabited, that is, until Americantroops arrived in 1942. Then almost 10.0C0 men descended on the island and dredgeda channel into the lagoon and built air- strips for bombers and fighters. And nowthe island has served as the base from which the first British megaton weapons havebeen tested. All three Services have been heavily com-mitted to "Operation Grapple," as the tests are known. The Army, for example, hadto build, from scratch, a considerable town- ship with seaport and airbase, together withmains electricity, "company's water" (dis- tilled from the sea); sewage and hygieneservices; and all logistic provisions for a population of 2,300. The Royal Navy hadtwo prime commitments: to establish port facilities and bring in all seaborne stores,provisions and fuel and, secondly, to pro- vide weather ships and technical and opera-tional control in the Forward Area near Maiden Island, some 400 miles to the southof Christmas Island. From the Royal Air Force came 49 Sqn.(Valiants) to drop the weapons themselves; No. 76 Sqn. (Canberra B.6s) to do atomic-cloud sampling at all altitudes; 100 Sqn. (Canberra P.RJs) to undertake multiplephotographic tasks; 206 and 240 Sqns. (Shackletons); 22 Sqn. (Whirlwinds); anda host of transport aircraft, Auster A.O.P.9 (for pest control) and other types. Many of the aircraft had to be modified.The Valiants were fitted with black-out shutters to protect the crew, and certainparts of the airframes were strengthened to withstand the heat of the nuclear explosion;the Canberra B.6 samplers were provided with filters in their cabin-air systems andcooling ducts, together with radiation dose-meters to record crew-exposure. Inaddition, a tremendous amount of effort resulted in the perfection of special coolingtrollies, new maintenance and repair tech- niques and "advanced navigational equip-ments" (to quote an official statement). Air-and-ground crews of a Valiant hold an informal pre-flight conference. In the heading picture Valiants are seen being serviced and below is a general view of the airfield, with Valiants, Hastings and Shackletons of the Task Force.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
