On 1 March 1954, a 15-megaton hydrogen bomb – 1,000 times bigger than the one dropped on Hiroshima and, due to a critical scientific error in calculation, nearly twice the size of what was anticipated – was detonated. In the aftermath of Operation Castle Bravo, most of the tiny Pacific atoll where the bomb exploded simply ceased to exist. Caught in the blast, over half a century later the radiation experienced by the ‘Atomic Marines’ that set off the explosion has major implications for their
health, and that of their children and grandchildren.
Sworn to secrecy on a top secret Cold War mission, but now finally free to speak out, the ‘Atomic Marines’ tell their incredible story for the first time in BURNING SKY (Tuesday 24th, 7.30pm).