Operation Dominic I and II

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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 I, shot Arkansas

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
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.
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
Swanee	14 May 1962	Christmas Island	97 kilotons
Chetco	19 May 1962	Christmas Island	73 kilotons
Tanana	25 May 1962	Christmas Island	‘Fizzled’
Nambe	27 May 1962	Christmas Island	43 kilotons
Bluegill	3 June 1962	Johnston Atoll	‘Failed’	Operation Fishbowl, tracking electronics failure 5 minutes after launch, detonated manually 10 minutes later
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
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
Otowi	21 June 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
Bighorn	27 June 1962	Christmas Island	7.65 megatons
Bluestone	30 June 1962	Christmas Island	1.27 megatons
Sacramento	30 June 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
Little Feller II	7 July 1962	Nevada Test Site	Unknown
Starfish Prime	9 July 1962	Johnston Atoll	1.4 megatons	Operation Fishbowl, exoatmospheric, 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
Housatonic	27 July 1962	Johnston Atoll	8.3 megatons
Bumping	6 October 1962	Johnston Atoll	11.3 kilotons
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
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
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