As all the letters, photos, articles etc. in the magazine are about Christmas Island. I thought I ought to give you my part of Operation Hurricane 1952, Monte Bello Islands.
I got married on April 7th 1952. Late May 1952 on HMS Plym, we set sail from Chatham for Sheerness, where took the bomb aboard, then off to Gibraltar, Freetown, Simonstown, Mauritius finally Perth after a few days, off to Monte Bello where we anchored off Trimouille Island “with 6 Blocks of concrete” as anchors well we didn’t want the ship to move and disturb the bomb, after all, we got it this far without trouble. The following weeks we entertained ourselves the drinking the odd can of beer, fishing, sailing, football, hockey and cribbage, what a riotous time we had, still it kept boredom away.
The ship’s company was reduced, till, the day before when it was reduced still further to 2AB’s, 1 Stoker, 1 Steward and me, oh yes 2 Officers and I think 4 Boffins. After breakfast lAB the steward and myself were taken to HMS Campania After the bomb was exploded and made a mess of “Plym”, I am told that sometime later a few bits of “Plym” were found.
When all the excitement died down, me and my cooks mate were ferried to the Island (I think Hermitage Island) where we joined the shore party who were charged with cleaning up all the articles put there to find out what effect the radiation had. This was the first time we had experience of “Camp Cooking” though the Corporal and Private I suppose, were used to it. still, we through and nobody died of food poisoning!!
We sailed home on “Campania” arriving December, just in time for Xmas.
Danny Pullen
My grandfather was also aboard the plym until the end. He was chief petty officer stoker I believe. I have some of his photos.
HI Mark, I am a trustee at the BNTVA, British Nuclear Test Veterans Association, and I am the Montebello Rep, Wesley Perriman and myself are working on a project for next year, as its the 70th anniversary of Op Hurricane, and we hope to be putting on some displays in various areas, We have professional digitising equipment to copy any info, photos etc, or even copies would be good, any info on your granddad be great, I have found 2 surviving veterans from Hurricane and I am now in contact with them.
Any help gratefully received, you can contact me on andi.jones@hotmail.co.uk or my BNTVA email, a.jones@bntva.com
very best regards
Andi Jones
PS if you would like to check me out, ask Tracy Morris on the trustee board of the NCCF, or email the Exposure Editor
The BNTVA is looking for any items related to Operation Hurricane for the 70th Anniversary exhibition at the Royal Engineers museum (opening 4/10/22)
We would also like to hear from any suviving veterans and families.
My dad Ronald Albert Wood was on Hms plym during operation hurricane
HELLO: I’d like to fill in the gaps of my “personal life history.” I was an Australian Navy Reserve Cadet, in 1952/53. I believe it was about May, 1953, that I was assigned to a mine sweeper, (I’d like to know the name of Minesweeper if anyone knows), for about two weeks, sailing from Fremantle, W.A. (I think).
We steamed up the coast, with I believe there was 2 scientists on board, to Montebello Island, where we docked off one of the islands. This was a few months after the bomb was exploded, Oct. 3, 1952, in the H.M S. Plym. We were there all day. The scientists supposedly went ashore to do some testing, and brought back a “coffin” which I heard was the body of a grader operator, who was killed in a grading accident, and buried there, before the bomb went off. I helped them lower the coffin onto our ship. While there, a sailor caught a big shark, and tried to haul it in, on a crane. However, they tested it with a geiger counter, and it was “hot” so they dropped it back in the ocean. On the way back, I was assigned to the helm a few nights, as it was such tremendous seas, that most on board were sea sick, and I was not. I am now 86 years old in 3 weeks, and have live in U.S.A. (California) since 1963.