Operation Hurricane: The Story of Britain's First Atomic Test in Australia and the Legacy that Remains that remains

by Paul Grace

'I remember seeing a flash, I turned around and heard a roar like a train approaching in a tunnel. Then a tremendous crack like a whiplash passed directly overhead. I saw a mushroom cloud ... There was black and white smoke, orange and red flames ascending through the centre of the mushroom.' RAN Able Seaman Vince Douglas, participant in Operation Hurricane

At 8.00 a.m. on Friday 3 October 1952, Britain's first atomic bomb was detonated in the hold of a surplus frigate, HMS Plym, moored in the Montebello Islands, 50 miles off the North West Coast of Western Australia. The blast vaporised the Plym, produced a mushroom cloud 2 miles high, and covered the islands and parts of the Australian mainland with fallout.

The test, codenamed Operation Hurricane, was the culmination of years of top-secret planning in London and Canberra and months of clandestine preparations at the site. One of the largest peacetime military operations in Australian history, its success shifted the balance of power in the Cold War and briefly rejuvenated the fading British Empire.

Painstakingly pieced together from declassified government documents and first-person accounts by surviving participants, Operation Hurricane tells the story of Britain's first nuclear test from the point of view of the men on the soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilians. It delves into the historical context of the Cold War and examines the controversial legacy of the atomic tests, including the impact of fallout on servicemen, Aboriginal peoples and the environment, and Australia's relationship with the United Kingdom.

368 pages, Paperback

Published July 26, 2024

Reviews

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well researched and well written. All Australians should read this book. This must never be allowed to happen again. The Australian decision makers of the 1950's failed their duty of care to all Australians, especially the servicemen involved, by letting this happen and then by covering it up for decades.

[Shreedevi Gurumurty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Operation Hurricane was the first test of a British atomic device.A plutonium implosion device was detonated on 3 October 1952 in Main Bay,Trimouille Island,in the Montebello Islands in WA.Afterwards,Britain became the third nuclear power,after the US and the Soviet Union.During WWII,Britain commenced a nuclear weapons project, code-named Tube Alloys,but the 1943 Quebec Agreement merged it with the American Manhattan Project. Several key British scientists worked on the Manhattan Project, but post WWII, the American government ended cooperation on nuclear weapons.In January 1947,a cabinet sub-committee decided to resume British efforts to build nuclear weapons in response to an apprehension of American isolationism and fears of Britain losing its great power status. The project was called High Explosive Research and was directed by Lord Portal, with William Penney in charge of bomb design.Leonard Tyte was the technical director.Implicit in the decision to develop atomic bombs was the need to test them.The preferred site was the Pacific Proving Grounds in the US-controlled Marshall Islands.As a fallback, sites in Canada and Australia were considered.The Admiralty suggested that the Montebello Islands might be suitable,so UK Prime Minister, Clement Attlee,sent a request to Australian PM, Robert Menzies.The Australian government formally agreed to the islands being used as a nuclear test site in May 1951.In February 1952, Winston Churchill,went ahead with the atomic bomb test.A small fleet was assembled for Operation Hurricane under the command of Rear Admiral A.D. Torlesse; it included the flagship escort carrier HMS Campania,and the LSTs Narvik,Zeebrugge,and Tracker.Atomic veterans were exposed to radiation while present in the site of nuclear explosion during active duty,and suffered from radiation-induced health issues e.g.cancer.They were forced to keep silent about their work and whereabouts,and fought in vain for compensation and recognition.Britain conducted more nuclear test programs in Australia at Emu Field and Maralinga in SA,and at Christmas Island. Indigenous peoples and the natural environment were severely impacted.

[PacMan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoiler: the British nuked Australia. They learned how to make atom bombs, we got cancer, radiated land and not even any nuclear know-how. Other nations have done far worse in this area, but still...

[Jodi Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to read. I had no idea what the British did to our beautiful islands after the war.

[David Batho · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engrossing read. It engages the interest from the first page and holds it to the end.

[Bres · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful read into Operation Hurricane which was about Britain's atomic bomb tests at the Montebello Islands, Western Australia. At times the book got into the weeds on details but I think the surgery was trying to cover as much as possible, so that is a reflection on me, rather than the task he set out to achieve. The book certainly conveys the time well: the relationship between Britain and Australia; the knowledge gaps re atomic bombs risks; the disregard for the safety of certain participants; the reluctance or obstruction of the authorities to acknowledge the damage done to individuals. In some ways it is a lesson in not trusting those we should be able to trust. Having sailed through the islands, it is interesting to think of the activity that occurred in the lead up to the detonation and how the after effects are still impacting the island today.