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50th Anniversary of First British Atomic TestPrint Page 
The memorial commemorates the 50th anniversary of first British Atomic Bomb test on the Monte Bello Islands in 1952.
Operation Hurricane was the test of the first British atomic device on 3 October 1952. A plutonium implosion device was detonated in the lagoon between the Montebello Islands, Western Australia.
To test the effects of a ship-smuggled bomb (a threat of great concern to the British at the time), Hurricane was exploded inside the hull of HMS Plym (a 1,370-ton River class frigate) which was anchored in 12 metres of water, 350 metres off Trimouille Island. The explosion occurred 2.7 metres below the water line, and left a saucer-shaped crater on the seabed 6 metres deep and 300 metres across.
British Atomic Tests 1952Location
| Address: | Second Avenue, Ian Blair Memorial Boardwalk, Onslow, 6710 |
|---|---|
| State: | WA |
| Area: | Foreign |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -21.633376 Long: 115.111241 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Government |
| Sub-Theme: | Imperial |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 03-October-1952 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 03-October-2002 |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | 2002 |
|---|
In Commemoration Of
50 years Of The First
British Atomic Test
On The Monte Bello Islands
3rd October 1952
