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A small island 44 miles long by 5 miles wide that sits as part of the Rat Island Group, the most southerly islands of the Aleutian chain. It lies about 1340 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska and 870 miles east of Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka in the Russian Far East. During World War II it provided a strategic fighter bomber airbase defense against Japanese invasion. At one point it numbered 15,000 troops and was instrumental in reclaiming the U.S. territory of Kiska and Attu Islands that were captured and occupied by Japan. The first nuclear test conducted on Amchitka was Long Shot. An Atomic Bomb detonated 2300 feet underground on October 29, 1965. Its purpose was to investigate Americas ability to detect nuclear explosions from the Russian far east and distinguish them from naturally occurring earthquakes. It's yield was approx. 80 kilotons or 5.3 times that of Hiroshima. The second nuclear test was Milrow. A Hydrogen bomb
exploded at a depth of 3992 feet below the surface on October 2, 1969.
Its yield was 1 megaton, about 67 times that of Hiroshima. Basically it
was a calibration test needed to determine the effects on the
biosphere, landslides, water wave production (tsunamis), aftershocks and
other seismic -related effects. It was also used to determine
if the Island would be able to withstand an even larger explosion. The third and last nuclear explosion was Cannikin. Detonated inside a 52 foot diameter cavity at the bottom of a 5,875 foot shaft on November 6, 1971. It's yield was 5 megatons or 385 times that of Hiroshima. It is today the largest underground nuclear explosion conducted by the United States. The 730 underground nuclear tests conducted by the U.S. produced a total yield of 37 megatons, and Cannikin's yield alone represents 14 percent of the total. It was a test of the Warhead of the Spartan anti-ballistic missile system (ABM). It reputedly fractured the earths crust. The seismic shock from the explosion registered 7.0 on the Richter Scale. 38 hours after the explosion a 1 1/2 mile wide by 60 foot deep subsidence crater formed as the volume of material above the cavity (the chimney) collapsed into the void.
In May of 2002 a base camp was set up to house the clean up workers. A combination of crews from the Department of Energy, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Corp of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, and the civilian contractor Brice Environmental Services Corporation, out of Fairbanks, Alaska who subcontracted the surveying portion of the contract to our company McClintock Land Associates of Eagle River, Alaska. Myself and Tom Pickett, a land surveyor based out of Georgia, were assigned by Bill McClintock to spend the summer on Amchitka performing the Surveys for the remediation sites. There we were to join another surveyor, Gerald (Gerry) Kurtz who was employed directly by Brice Corporation. A total of 8 sites on Amchitka needed extensive surveying to determine volumes of contaminated water and mud. Volume measurements of earth needed to stabilize the contaminated sites, slope staking and grading of the sites to DOE specifications and other surveying as needed by the contractor Brice.
Once the class was completed we loaded into a government chartered Learjet for the ride out to the Island. Our surveying equipment and truck having already been compiled and shipped via barge two weeks prior. Cargo space was very limited on the Lear jet and we were allowed only one small bag each, But was also able to take a few basic surveying essentials like a Topcon GTS-800 One Man Robotic Instrument and tripod just so we could hit the ground running if the barge had not arrived. We landed 3 1/2 hours later on Amchitka in a 40 mile per hour crosswind with horizontal rain which we found was pretty much the normal weather pattern. The camp had been setup to accommodate approximately 100 cleanup personnel. This was comprised of a series of ATCO trailers. We then attended an orientation meeting to discuss safety issues and point out restricted areas that contained untold amounts of unexploded bombs, small rockets, and hand grenades. We found that the barge indeed had yet to arrive with our equipment due to sea conditions but with access to two quad runners we were able to recon the cleanup sites and set primary control. The constant rain, wind, and fog made the surveying a challenge to say the least. When the shafts were drilled for the nuclear bombs a
mixture of diesel and bentonite were poured down them to produce a
highly slippery condition that helped extract the rock and debris. Large
holes were excavated near the shafts and this drilling fluid was
pumped into them. Water had since filled and covered the bentonite mud
creating large toxic ponds. Especially in the ponds of the "Long
Shot" explosion where levels of radioactive Tritium have been
measured. The first phase of our surveying was to do a topographic
survey of the original lay of the ponds and surrounding areas so as to
create a digital terrain model.
At each of the eight sites a decontamination facility was set up to decontaminate equipment used before it was removed to another site. As surveyors we were usually the first at the sites to obtain the original topographic lay of the land. We therefore had to decontaminate ourselves after wading in water and mud most of the day. The constant rain and drizzle also helped in keeping the mud off. Department of Energy personnel took radiation readings at all the project sites to make sure that they were well below what is considered safe for humans. The Tritium measured at Long Shot Site has a half life of just 12 years so had fallen of greatly since the explosion in 1965. LINKS Visit the McClintock Land Associates Amchitka Project Image Gallery. For more information on the Nuclear tests conducted at Amchitka Island visit the Department of Atomic Energy Website Recently declassified videos of these tests are available for a small fee from the Atomic Energy Website. For more Information relating to Amchitka's role during World War II visit the historical index of the green peace site or purchase the authorative book "The Thousand Mile War" by Brian Garfield, available through Amazon.com Video clips of the Cannikin Explosion
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In the early 1980's it was determined that Environmental
damage to Amchitka Island by The nuclear tests and prior U.S.
Government occupations needed to be investigated. assessed and a cleanup
plan implemented. It was placed on the Environmental Protection Agency Superfund list
as an uncontrolled hazardous waste site which opened the door to the
money required for the
cleanup operation. The U.S. Department of Energy developed the Plan of
Attack with Engineering contractor IT out of Las Vegas.
Upon
arrival in Alaska our first week was spent in a 40 hour Hazardous Waste
and Emergency response Class to obtain mandatory certification for this
project that all cleanup workers were required. The class entailed
recognition of Hazardous waste and substances, procedures to isolate
dangers associated with said waste. Practice of using Personal
Protective Equipment while working in a hazardous environment and
decontamination procedures. Our main concerns were Radiation from the
nuclear detonations. Chemicals and substances that were used in the
drilling of the shafts for the bombs. Chemical Spills and Unexploded
Ordnance from WW II. Even 
With the
Topcon Robotic instrument set up at a strategic high point we pulled on
chest waders and walked into the water to obtain shots on top of
the 
The
weather during the summer months in the Aleutian islands is notoriously
bad. Heavy Rain, Strong Winds, and a dense fog that limited the
range of our shots from the instrument. The Topcon robotic gun emits
a continuous laser to the prism rod for tracking purposes and a distance
of more than approximately 100 feet in this fog would disrupt the tracking
laser. It would then go into search mode, turning this way and that way
trying to find you. Sometimes it would look for you out in the Bering
Sea, sometimes it would look for you up in the clouds. This became very
frustrating so when the Fog became to dense we would use our backup
Instrument, a Topcon GTS-220 with one person gunning manually. Trying not
to breathe on the eyepiece as it would condense and constantly wiping
rain droplets from both ends of the scope. The average daily wind speed
was about 25 miles per hour with some days reaching 70-80 miles per
hour. The instrument set ups had to be low to the ground and
accompanied by large rocks or sandbags to stop the transits from blowing
over. Another nuisance we had to deal with was the Propane Cannons setup
by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A cannon like device 4 feet long
with a bore of about 4 inches, hooked up to a propane cylinder that
would explode with an incredibly loud report every four minutes or so.
They were suppose to keep the endangered Aleutian goose from nesting in
the project areas. Usually set up at high points where the
instrument needed to strategically be set. After a few minutes would go
by you new the blast was imminent but you were constantly on edge
waiting for it. You were pretty much a nervous wreck after fighting wind
and rain and cannon blasts all day.