The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-07-02

Counter was reacting would have told even blind man that some thing tremendous had just hap pened.
 Blandy and Forrestal boarded just one ship, the 32-year-old battle ship New York. Unlike those nearer the target center, it bore an "af- firmative" flag, blue and white barred banner indicating radio logical safety monitors had found it free of harmful radio-activity.
 The bombs blast effects were vis- lble everywhere starboard and aft where the New York was hit hard est. They included twisted mast structures, shattered plexiglass and ripped feuselages of exposed planes and scattered debris.
 Amused by Sentiment
 Blandy and F'orrestal were anus ed and pleased by the cocky senti- ment scrawled in blue chalk on the deck house aft by some sailor before leaving the ship on the eve of the test.
 It read: "Old sailors never die"
 Blandy said it was true that the New York could sail back under her own power. But it still has
 rest Baker" the shallow under water atomic burst three to four weeks hence to go through.
 One phenomenon observed aboard the New York which proved the atomic bomb was a terrific anti personnel weapon even if it did not damage the old battleship fund.- amentally
 The shadow of a folding metal chair leaning against after gun turret had been photographed on the turret by the bombs super solar flash.
 Parsons said anybody sitting there would have been burned and would have received gamma radia- tion."
 Casualties Would Be High
 Blandy admitted the casualties would have been high had any per- sonnel been aboard the New York.
 The New York was burned severly around her stacks by fires set off by the bomb, the glass in her searchlight was shattered, large cans of rations were crushed, and the instrument mirrors were splin- tered
 But Blandy called attention to the fact that while Army material exposed on her decks was damaged, the heavy parts of the ship itself were undamaged"
 Blandy reminded Forrestal that the Navy promised Gov. Thomas E. Dewey of New York that his state would receive the old ship as a shrine if she survived the tests.
 To Take It Easy
 Blandy said he promised Dewey the New York would not be exposed to as much as some other target ships.
 He added that the atomic ordeal would make the New York even more valuable to her namesake state than before.
 Forrestal and Blandy also inSpec- ted without boarding these ships:
 Heavy carrier Saratoga, which suffered only slight damage amid ships due to fire started in army ammunition exposed on deck. Shat tered plexiglass and mirrors proved, however, that Sara felt considerable Of the bombs blast. Nolan's Greiger Counter indicated more than nor nal but still harmless radioactivity around the Sara.
 Goats Appear Unharmed
 The Pennsylvania, whose cata- putt planes were put out of commiS- sion and three fires amidships left blistered skin wrecked liferafts, and charred equipment. Though the bomb flash did some charring of of hay on after deck. A pair of goats. one Billy and the other Nanny. oh Pennsylvania s foreeastle deck seemed lonesome but otherwise unless by slow acting radiation
 Billy looked like an atom 
 He was one of 200 goats brought here for test purposes aboard the U s. Burleson.
 The carrier Independence, whose stern was all but blown off by am munition explosions set off by the bombs heat, had her flight deck buckled ana the hangar deck but ted and twisted. The hull at the stern was pushed out of shape and the ship as whole was an unsal- wreck. She will be beached if she begins to take water too rapidly.