Aerial view of shot Able, the first test of the United States Operation Crossroads nuclear weapons tests in the Bikini Atoll. Bright flash followed by rising mushroom cloud after bomb explodes. Blast wave seen overtaking unmanned test ships in the ocean.
Two airmen pushing a trolley with contents covered by canvas. They are moving it towards B-29 Superfortress, "Dave's Dream," sitting on the airfield ramp, surrounded by armed Military Police guards. Airmen cover the bomb bay door and lower part of the B-29 with a canvas to prevent the nuclear device from being seen during loading. The canvases are removed after loading and the aircraft's engines are started. Bomb bay doors are then closed.
Airmen on a Fire truck, use water hoses to wash down the B-29 Superfortress, "Dave's Dream," in preparation for the Able test in which it will drop an atomic device on Bikini Atoll, as part of Operation Crossroads atomic tests in Marshall Islands. Airman on ground sprays water on the underside of the aircraft. Bomb bay doors being washed.Airman cleans parts of the B-29 with a cloth.
Air Transport Command C-54 aircraft, arrives and taxis to parking place on ramp at airfield in the Marshall Islands, related to the nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll (Operations Crossroads). When the door opens, An officer scurries down the stairway to join two others standing at foot of the stairs ready to greet arriving passengers. Military officers are gathered on the ramp, including Air Force General Henry (Hap) Arnold. Many military and civilian passengers deplane and are greeted and mingle with those on the ramp. Some distance away, base personnel are gathered , including several women, to watch the activity. The only base buildings seen are Quonset huts and buildings contrived from them. The first of several military staff cars drives away carrying the arriving passengers.
Activities following the Test Able atomic explosion at Bikini Atoll during Operation Crossroads. Ground crewman unseals a cable from fuselage and uses it to pull and air sampler box off the top of a B-17 drone aircraft. He avoids being hit by it as it tumbles from atop the airplane. He then drags it to a spot on the ramp, where a man with a geiger counter checks it for radioactivity. Two men transport it on a long pole, to a fork lift. Several other B-17 drones are seen with ground crews offloading them remotely, by means of cables and remote activation of controls inside the B-17 bomb bays. A forklift operator loads an item into the rear hatch of a waiting C-54 transport aircraft.
View from the air of atomic Test Able explosion during Operation Crossroads atomic tests. The target fleet of ships in Bikini Lagoon is clearly visible. The mushroom cloud rises rapidly.