Nuclear Archipelago: Secrets, power and the biggest atomic blast in Australia

by Elizabeth Tynan

Nuclear Archipelago tells the shocking story of the two British atomic weapons test series held at Western Australia's Monte Bello Islands, in 1952 and 1956. Operation Hurricane and Operation Mosaic took place at a rugged archipelago 100 kilometres off the Pilbara coast, and each of the three bombs sent fallout over vast distances across the country. One of the tests, Mosaic G2 in June 1956, the largest nuclear weapon test ever held in Australia, sparked panic at the time that it had been a nuclear accident. The book explores the politics, the secrecy, and the controversies, including the true nature of Mosaic G2 and its role in the clandestine development of the British hydrogen bomb. In both the Mosaic tests, the crew of a British ship was deliberately positioned in the path of fallout. Along with the ongoing effects – this pristine and biodiverse natural environment was desecrated and has never been cleaned up.

320 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2026

Reviews

[Rozanna Lilley · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

This is the final book in Elizabeth Tynan's trilogy on the history of the British atomic tests held in Australia from 1952 until 1963. For more than a decade we allowed Britain to detonate nuclear devices, for research purposes, on Australian soil. This book concentrates on Operation Hurricane and Operation Mosaic taking place in the remote Montebello Islands off Western Australia. It is a sorry tale of colonial arrogance, Australian pandering to British interests and entirely lackadaisical procedures that failed to prioritise the safety of those affected. Nuclear veterans of these trials are still seeking justice and an admission of responsibility on the part of the British government for both the environmental damage caused and ongoing negative impact on human health. It is meticulously researched with the available sources; Britain is still holding on to many 'secrets'. Tynan deserves an Order of Australia for writing about this crucial topic and, in doing so, buttressing the calls for justice.