Maralinga

Between 1952 and 1963, British forces dropped nine nuclear weapons and nine thermonuclear weapons between Woomera and the Western Australian border, within contamination distance of urban centers. The Menzies-led Australian government of that time was wholly complicit and lied about the known dangers of nuclear tests. Between these bombings, Britain conducted continuous “minor trials,” which, according to the Royal Commission into British Nuclear Tests in Australia, additionally detonated 99.35 kg of beryllium, 23.979 kg of plutonium, and 7968.88 kg of depleted uranium. By contrast, Little Boy, dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 by the United States, contained only 64 kg of uranium-235, and Fat Man, dropped on Nagasaki in 1945 by the United States, contained only 6.4 kg of plutonium. Anyone who wishes to immediately lose faith in the human race should read the short transcript of the Royal Commission, which is freely available online.

A rough timeline is provided:

October 3, 1952: Operation Hurricane, Monte Bello Islands, 25 kiloton nuclear weapon

October 15, 1953: Operation Totem, “Totem 1,” Emu Field, 9.1 kiloton nuclear weapon

October 27, 1953: Operation Totem, “Totem 2,” Emu Field, 7.1 kiloton nuclear weapon

1953: “Kittens,” Emu Field, chemical detonation, 0.036 kg beryllium

1955: “Tims,” Maralinga Naya 3, chemical detonation, 1.38 kg depleted uranium1955–57: “Kittens,” Maralinga Naya, chemical detonation, 0.75 kg beryllium1955–57: “Kittens,” Maralinga Kittens, chemical detonation, 120 kg depleted uraniumMay 16, 1956: Operation Mosaic, “G1,” Monte Bello Islands, 15 kiloton nuclear weaponMay 19, 1956: Operation Mosaic, “G2,” Monte Bello Islands, 60 kiloton nuclear weaponSeptember 27, 1956: Buffalo, “One Tree,” Maralinga, 12.9 kiloton nuclear weaponOctober 4, 1956: Operation Buffalo, “Marcoo,” Maralinga, 1.4 kiloton nuclear weaponOctober 11, 1956: Operation Buffalo, “Kite,” Maralinga, 2.9 kiloton nuclear weaponOctober 22, 1956: Operation Buffalo, “Breakaway,” Maralinga, 10.8 kiloton nuclear weapon1956–58: “Rats,” Maralinga Naya 1, chemical detonation, 151 kg depleted uranium1956–60: “Tims,” Maralinga Kuli TM4, chemical detonation, 6605 kg depleted uraniumSeptember 14, 1957: Operation Antler, “Tadje,” Maralinga, 0.9 kiloton thermonuclear weaponSeptember 25, 1957: Operation Antler, “Biak,” Maralinga, 5.7 kiloton thermonuclear weaponOctober 9, 1957: Operation Antler, “Taranaki,” Maralinga, 26.6 kiloton thermonuclear weaponNovember 8, 1957: Operation Grapple X, “Round C,” Christmas Island, 1.8 megaton thermonuclear weapon

1957: “Tims,” Maralinga Naya, chemical detonation, 1.6 kg beryllium

1957: “Kittens,” Maralinga Naya 1, chemical detonation, 5 kg depleted uranium

1957: “Kittens,” Maralinga Naya 3, chemical detonation, 23.4 kg depleted uranium

April 28, 1958: Operation Grapple Y, Christmas Island, 3 megaton thermonuclear weapon

August 22, 1958: Operation Grapple Z1, “Pennant,” Christmas Island, 24 kiloton thermonuclear weapon

September 2, 1958: Operation Grapple Z2, “Flagpole 1,” Christmas Island, 1 megaton thermonuclear weapon

September 11, 1958: Operation Grapple Z3, “Halliard,” Christmas Island, 800 kiloton thermonuclear weapon

September 23, 1958: Operation Grapple Z4, “Burgee,” Christmas Island, 25 kiloton thermonuclear weapon

1959: “Vixen A,” Maralinga Wewak VK33, chemical detonation, 0.008 kg plutonium1959: “Vixen A,” Maralinga Wewak VK29, chemical detonation, 0.14 kg beryllium1959: “Vixen A,” Maralinga Wewak VK28, chemical detonation, 0.25 kg beryllium1959: “Vixen A,” Maralinga Wewak VK27, chemical detonation, 0.23 kg beryllium1959: “Vixen A,” Maralinga Wewak VK30, chemical detonation, 0.10 kg beryllium1959: “Rats,” Maralinga Dobo, chemical detonation, 28 kg depleted uranium1959–60: “Tims,” Maralinga Kuli TM11, chemical detonation, 26.2 kg beryllium1959–60: “Tims,” Maralinga Kuli TM11, chemical detonation, 67 kg depleted uranium1960: “Tims,” Maralinga Naya 1 TM100, chemical detonation, 0.6 kg plutonium1960: “Vixen A,” Maralinga Wewak, chemical detonation, 67.8 kg depleted uranium1960–61: “Tims,” Maralinga Kuli TM16, chemical detonation, 39 kg beryllium1960–62: “Kittens,” Maralinga Naya 2, chemical detonation, 32 kg depleted uranium1960–63: “Vixen B,” Maralinga Taranaki, chemical detonation, 22.2 kg plutonium1960–63: “Tims,” Maralinga Kuli TM16, chemical detonation, 731 kg depleted uranium1961: “Tims,” Maralinga Naya TM101, chemical detonation, 0.6 kg plutonium1961: “Vixen A,” Maralinga Wewak VK60A, chemical detonation, 0.294 kg plutonium1961: “Vixen A,” Maralinga Wewak VK60C, chemical detonation, 0.277 kg plutonium1961: “Tims,” Maralinga Kuli TM5, chemical detonation, 10 kg beryllium1961: “Vixen A,” Maralinga Wewak 60A, chemical detonation, 1.72 kg beryllium1961: “Vixen A,” Maralinga Wewak 60B, chemical detonation, 1.72 kg beryllium1961: “Vixen B,” Maralinga (Taranaki site), chemical detonation, 17.6 kg beryllium1961: “Tims,” Maralinga Kuli TM50, chemical detonation, 90 kg depleted uranium1963: “Vixen B,” Maralinga Taranaki, chemical detonation, 24.9 kg depleted uranium1963: “Vixen B,” Maralinga Taranaki, chemical detonation, 22.4 kg depleted uranium

Five Threnodies for Maralinga

The mushroom cloud dispersed rapidly. For a few seconds it took

the intriguing shape of an aboriginal face silhouetted over Australia,

then it eddied 1500ft high, and was blown away to the north-east . . .

(Douglas Wilkie, the Courier-Mail, Brisbane, October 16, 1953)

I

Es atmet mich, it breathes me,
this cremated field,
whose pulmonary veins were fused

by atomic blasts.

It is breathing slowlylike a heart, or an animal dyingand in the periodicity of its own blood

is become sternklang,the language of stars.

Sun glints from its surface

like something solid.

In the 1950s, Robert Menziessurrendered this desert to men who look down

from flag-draped podiumsand parliamentary stairs.They built bombing ranges thatfrom outer space resembleoccult sigils.Es atmet uns, it is not in the nature of demons

to refuse such invitations.

And its interior is the muscle

of a snake, coiling recoiling—

it dislocates its jawand spews blackened birds

into the desert,

Wedgetailed eagleswith their eyes burned out.

Soldiers club them from air

with axe handles—some of them are crying.

Low on the horizona greasy cloud makes whispering noise

as it advances

erasing the mulgas.

Do you remember?These rivers, these mallee and paper daisies

We took it all away.