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{{short description|Largest pure-fission US nuclear bomb test}}
{{refimprove|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox Nuclear weapons test
{{Infobox Nuclear weapons test
|name = Ivy King
|name = Ivy King
|picture = Ivy_King_Blast.jpg
|picture = IvyKingDetonation2.gif
|picture_description = Ivy King's [[mushroom cloud]]
|picture_description = Ivy King's fireball and subsequent [[mushroom cloud]] from sea-level view.
|country = United States
|country = United States
|test_series = [[Operation Ivy]]
|test_series = [[Operation Ivy]]
Line 8: Line 10:
|date = November 16, 1952
|date = November 16, 1952
|test_type = [[Nuclear weapons testing#Types|Atmospheric]]
|test_type = [[Nuclear weapons testing#Types|Atmospheric]]
|yield = 500 [[TNT equivalent|kt]]
|yield = 500 [[TNT equivalent|kt]] (2092 TJ)
|previous_test = [[Ivy Mike]]
|next_test = [[Upshot-Knothole Annie]]
}}
}}


⚫
'''Ivy King''' was the largest pure-[[nuclear fission|fission]] [[nuclear weapon|nuclear bomb]] ever tested by the United States.<ref name=nwa-bomb-list>{{cite web |title=Complete List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons |url=http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Weapons/Allbombs.html |website=The Nuclear Weapon Archive, A Guide to Nuclear Weapons |accessdate=September 10, 2017 |date=October 14, 2006}}</ref> The bomb was tested during the [[Harry S. Truman|Truman]] administration as part of [[Operation Ivy]]. This series of tests involved the development of very powerful nuclear weapons in response to the nuclear weapons program of the [[Soviet Union]].
[[File:Ivy King test.ogg|thumb|320px|Video of Ivy King test]]
⚫
'''Ivy King''' was the largest pure-[[nuclear fission|fission]] [[nuclear weapon|nuclear bomb]] ever tested by the United States.<ref name=nwa-bomb-list>{{cite web |title=Complete List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons |url=http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Weapons/Allbombs.html#MK-18 |website=http://nuclearweaponarchive.org |accessdate=August 29, 2014 |date=October 14, 2006}}</ref> The bomb was tested during the [[Harry S. Truman|Truman]] administration as part of [[Operation Ivy]]. This series of tests involved the development of very powerful nuclear weapons in response to the nuclear weapons program of the [[Soviet Union]].


The production of Ivy King was hurried to be ready in case its sister project, [[Ivy Mike]], failed in its attempt to achieve a [[nuclear fusion|thermonuclear reaction]]. The Ivy King test actually took place two weeks after Mike. Unlike the Mike bomb, the Ivy King device could theoretically have been added to United States' nuclear arsenal because it was designed to be air-deliverable.
The production of Ivy King was hurried to be ready in case its sister project, [[Ivy Mike]], failed in its attempt to achieve a [[nuclear fusion|thermonuclear reaction]]. The Ivy King test actually took place two weeks after the Mike test. Unlike the Mike bomb, the Ivy King device could theoretically have been added to United States' nuclear arsenal, because it was designed to be air-deliverable.


On November 16, 1952 at 11:30 local time (23:30 GMT) a [[Convair B-36|B-36H bomber]] dropped the bomb over a point {{convert|2000|ft|m}} north of [[Runit Island]] in the [[Enewetak]] atoll, resulting in a 500 [[TNT equivalent|kiloton]] explosion at {{convert|1480|ft|m}}. The [[tropopause]] height at the time of the detonation was about {{convert|58000|ft|km}}. The top of the King cloud reached about {{convert|74000|ft|km}} with the mushroom base at about {{convert|40000|ft|km}}.<ref>OPERATION IVY. Project 7.5. Dispersion of Gaseous Debris from Nuclear Explosions; Philip W. Allen, DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE WASHINGTON DC. Defense Technical Information Center, 1985.</ref>
On November 16, 1952 at 11:30 local time (23:30 GMT) a [[Convair B-36|B-36H bomber]] dropped the bomb over a point {{convert|2000|ft|m}} north of [[Runit Island]] in the [[Enewetak]] atoll, resulting in a 500 [[TNT equivalent|kiloton]]<ref>LA 7833-MS https://fas.org/sgp/othergov/doe/lanl/lib-www/la-pubs/00193930.pdf</ref> explosion at {{convert|1480|ft|m}}. The [[tropopause]] height at the time of the detonation was about {{convert|58000|ft|km}}. The top of the King cloud reached about {{convert|75000|ft|km}} with the mushroom base at about {{convert|40000|ft|km}}.<ref>Operation Ivy. Project 7.5. Dispersion of Gaseous Debris from Nuclear Explosions; Philip W. Allen, Department of the Air Force, Washington, DC. Defense Technical Information Center, 1985.</ref>


The Ivy King bomb, designated as a [[Mark 18 nuclear bomb|Mk-18 bomb]] and named the "Super Oralloy Bomb", was a modified version of the [[Mark 6 nuclear bomb|Mk-6D bomb]]. Instead of using an [[nuclear weapon design#Implosion type weapon|implosion system]] similar to the Mk-6D, it used a 92-point implosion system initially developed for the Mk-13. Its [[uranium]]-[[plutonium]] [[plutonium core|core]] was replaced by 60&nbsp;kg of [[enriched uranium|highly enriched uranium (HEU)]] fashioned into a thin-walled sphere equivalent to approximately four [[critical mass]]es. The thin-walled sphere was a commonly used design, which ensured that the fissile material remained sub-critical until imploded. The HEU sphere was then enclosed in a natural-uranium [[neutron reflector]]. To physically prevent the HEU sphere collapsing into a critical condition if the surrounding explosives were detonated accidentally, or if the sphere was crushed following an aircraft accident, the hollow center was filled with a [[link chain|chain]] made from [[aluminum]] and [[boron]], which was pulled out to arm the bomb. The boron-coated chain also absorbed the [[neutron]]s needed to drive the nuclear reaction.
The Ivy King bomb, designated as a [[Mark 18 nuclear bomb|Mk-18 bomb]] and named the "Super Oralloy Bomb", was a modified version of the [[Mark 6 nuclear bomb|Mk-6D bomb]]. Instead of using an [[nuclear weapon design#Implosion-type weapon|implosion system]] similar to the Mk-6D, it used a 92-point implosion system initially developed for the [[Mark 13 nuclear bomb|Mk-13]]. Its [[uranium]]-[[plutonium]] [[plutonium core|core]] was replaced by 60&nbsp;kg of [[enriched uranium|highly enriched uranium (HEU)]] fashioned into a thin-walled sphere equivalent to approximately four [[critical mass]]es. The thin-walled sphere was a commonly used design, which ensured that the fissile material remained sub-critical until imploded. The HEU sphere was then enclosed in a natural-uranium [[tamper (nuclear weapons)|tamper]]. To physically prevent the HEU sphere collapsing into a critical condition if the surrounding explosives were detonated accidentally, or if the sphere was crushed following an aircraft accident, the hollow center was filled with a [[link chain|chain]] made from [[aluminum]] and [[boron]], which was pulled out to arm the bomb. The boron-coated chain also absorbed the [[neutron]]s needed to drive the nuclear reaction.{{cn|date=August 2018}}


The primary designer of the Super Oralloy Bomb, physicist [[Ted Taylor (physicist)|Ted Taylor]], later became a vocal proponent of [[nuclear disarmament]].{{citation needed|date=August 2014}}
The primary designer of the Super Oralloy Bomb, physicist [[Ted Taylor (physicist)|Ted Taylor]], later became a vocal proponent of [[nuclear disarmament]].{{citation needed|date=August 2014}}

With an explosive [[Nuclear weapon yield|yield]] of 500 kilotons, Ivy King is the second largest known fission-only device ever tested after the [[Orange Herald]] nuclear device, a 720-kiloton atomic bomb tested by the United Kingdom on 31 May 1957, which remains to date the largest fission device ever tested.

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center" widths="220">
File:IvyKingDetonation.gif|right|''King'' test, from aerial view.
File:Ivy King - distance.jpg|Distant shoreline view.
File:Ivy King - mushroom cloud.jpg
</gallery>


==References==
==References==
Line 30: Line 42:
{{commons|Operation Ivy}}
{{commons|Operation Ivy}}
*[http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/Ivy.html Operation Ivy]
*[http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/Ivy.html Operation Ivy]
*Video of the [http://www.sonicbomb.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=58 '''Ivy King''' Nuclear Test]
*Video of the [https://archive.today/20130202175810/http://www.sonicbomb.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=58 '''Ivy King''' Nuclear Test]


{{Nuclear weapons tests of the United States}}
{{Nuclear weapons tests of the United States}}
[[Category:Explosions in 1952]]

[[Category:Enewetak Atoll nuclear explosive tests]]
[[Category:Enewetak Atoll nuclear explosive tests]]
[[Category:1952 in the United States]]
[[Category:1952 in the United States]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:November 1952 events in the United States]]

Latest revision as of 20:47, 15 October 2024

Ivy King
Ivy King's fireball and subsequent mushroom cloud from sea-level view.
Information
CountryUnited States
Test seriesOperation Ivy
Test siteEnewetak
DateNovember 16, 1952
Test typeAtmospheric
Yield500 kt (2092 TJ)
Test chronology

Ivy King was the largest pure-fission nuclear bomb ever tested by the United States.[1] The bomb was tested during the Truman administration as part of Operation Ivy. This series of tests involved the development of very powerful nuclear weapons in response to the nuclear weapons program of the Soviet Union.

The production of Ivy King was hurried to be ready in case its sister project, Ivy Mike, failed in its attempt to achieve a thermonuclear reaction. The Ivy King test actually took place two weeks after the Mike test. Unlike the Mike bomb, the Ivy King device could theoretically have been added to United States' nuclear arsenal, because it was designed to be air-deliverable.

On November 16, 1952 at 11:30 local time (23:30 GMT) a B-36H bomber dropped the bomb over a point 2,000 feet (610 m) north of Runit Island in the Enewetak atoll, resulting in a 500 kiloton[2] explosion at 1,480 feet (450 m). The tropopause height at the time of the detonation was about 58,000 feet (18 km). The top of the King cloud reached about 75,000 feet (23 km) with the mushroom base at about 40,000 feet (12 km).[3]

The Ivy King bomb, designated as a Mk-18 bomb and named the "Super Oralloy Bomb", was a modified version of the Mk-6D bomb. Instead of using an implosion system similar to the Mk-6D, it used a 92-point implosion system initially developed for the Mk-13. Its uranium-plutonium core was replaced by 60 kg of highly enriched uranium (HEU) fashioned into a thin-walled sphere equivalent to approximately four critical masses. The thin-walled sphere was a commonly used design, which ensured that the fissile material remained sub-critical until imploded. The HEU sphere was then enclosed in a natural-uranium tamper. To physically prevent the HEU sphere collapsing into a critical condition if the surrounding explosives were detonated accidentally, or if the sphere was crushed following an aircraft accident, the hollow center was filled with a chain made from aluminum and boron, which was pulled out to arm the bomb. The boron-coated chain also absorbed the neutrons needed to drive the nuclear reaction.[citation needed]

The primary designer of the Super Oralloy Bomb, physicist Ted Taylor, later became a vocal proponent of nuclear disarmament.[citation needed]

With an explosive yield of 500 kilotons, Ivy King is the second largest known fission-only device ever tested after the Orange Herald nuclear device, a 720-kiloton atomic bomb tested by the United Kingdom on 31 May 1957, which remains to date the largest fission device ever tested.

[edit]
  • King test, from aerial view.
    King test, from aerial view.
  • Distant shoreline view.
    Distant shoreline view.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Complete List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons". The Nuclear Weapon Archive, A Guide to Nuclear Weapons. October 14, 2006. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  2. ^ LA 7833-MS https://fas.org/sgp/othergov/doe/lanl/lib-www/la-pubs/00193930.pdf
  3. ^ Operation Ivy. Project 7.5. Dispersion of Gaseous Debris from Nuclear Explosions; Philip W. Allen, Department of the Air Force, Washington, DC. Defense Technical Information Center, 1985.
  • Chuck Hansen (1988). U. S. Nuclear Weapons: The Secret History. Arlington: AeroFax.
  • Chuck Hansen (1995) Swords of Armageddon. Published on CD-Rom only by Chukelea, Sunnyvale, CA.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Operation Ivy.
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