Operation Crossroads atom bomb test, 1946
Operation Crossroads atom bomb test. This is the Baker atomic explosion carried out at Bikini Atoll, in the Pacific, at 21:34 UTC on 24 July 1946 as part of Operation Crossroads. Baker was the first underwater nuclear detonation. The yield was thousands of tons of TNT, with the column of water vapour reaching thousands of metres into the air. The explosion and wave of water overwhelmed and sank unmanned test ships which are seen in this footage.