Operation Mosaic - Just How Safe?

Operation Mosaic was a series of two tests carried out in the Monte Bello Islands on 16th May and 19th June 1956.

The Royal Commission into British nuclear tests in Australia reported on the Mosaic tests, this is a response to that document.

In this document obtained by LABRATS, Operation Mosaic and the safety precautions are discussed and the findings of the report are brought into question.

So was Mosaic partly a H-Bomb in design?

So what was the purpose of the Mosaic tests? Was it because the US has stated that the yield could be improved by up to 50 percent through the use of a natural uranium tamper? Were they necessary? Lord Penney himself concluded that they should not have been fired.

Just how large was the second Mosaic explosion?

If it was 98 kilotons, this is much more than was anticipated.

So was it impossible at the time to know just how large the yield would be?

Just how much did Admiral Martell actually write, he stated it must be true, but then said he did not write the report, so it might not be accurate! Did he actually read it all?

So assertions were made and the Cooke to Jackson report was so heavily redacted, so it was useless.

Why so much secrecy around G2? What was the device, what was the true nature of the explosion?

Just how much contamination occurred after G2?

No arrangements for decontamination of aircraft or disposal of active effluent, showing a disregard for health and safety.

So the Monte Bello Islands were unsuitable and the explosions should not have been carried out. They still remain radioactive today, forever affected.

G2 was a colossal waste of taxpayers' money due to the explosive process being changed.

How did the Australian scientist die? Why is there confusion and not accurate records?

How could anyone walk up to the site of the explosion of HMS Plym?

Admiral Martell's rebuttal of the anger and alarm from G2 fallout was hopelessly inadequate.

Respirators were problematic and had to be removed because of the hot climate. No measurements were taken of ingested or inhaled activity.

Film badges have an error figure of between 30 and 50 percent, yet the British government worked on 5 percent.

So the US Environmental Protection Agency states that the badges reading were not accurate.

So the dose-rate meters were also prone to oscillation as the battery levels dropped.

Unreliable results from the water survey as the probes were excessively contaminated.

No attempts to measure internal hazards by ingestion or inhalation.

Daily or even weekly limits were inappropriate.

You can download Volume 1 of the Mclelland Inquiry here:

Download the Inquiry

Conclusion

Many people believe that the McClelland inquiry was a cover-up, a whitewash, and the indigenous people were treated as third-class citizens. The yield of Operation Mosaic G2 has never been fully ascertained, and it is still estimated to this day. Lord Penney himself did not even know what the yield would be. With many changes to the firing mechanism before detonation, this was an experiment.

With inadequate preparations, resources, and measuring capabilities, the whole operation put in harm's way the servicemen, indigenous people, and the scientists. The Monte Bello Islands remain radioactive and the families of the people affected continue to suffer to this day.

Links

Operation Mosaic on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFUsksbtziE

Australian Government Details - https://clik.dva.gov.au/military-compensation-srca-manuals-and-resources-library/liability-handbook/ch-30-appendices/appendix-4-notes-royal-commission-british-nuclear-test-participants/43-operation-mosaic-detonations-16-may-1956-and-19-june-1956-monte-bello-island-wa

National Archive Material - https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2004

Montebello Safaris - https://www.montebello.com.au/nuclear-testing/