Seventy years ago in July 1946, the world waited anxiously for the results of the first postwar tests of the atomic bomb at the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean - Operation Crossroads. The author witnessed Crossroads and Tests Able and Baker from the deck of the heavy cruiser, USS Fall River, Flagship for the Target Fleet. Known for his spare and straightforward writing style, McGee gives an eyewitness account of his participation in one of the most important events of the twentieth century - from the plan that was comparable to a major wartime battle plan, to the build-up, the rehearsals, the tests, and to the all-important later lessons learned about the devastating effects of radiation on man, animal, and ships - that no one saw coming. -- From the back cover.

Includes two papers written by Nuclear experts : Operation Crossroads by Oscar Rosen, Ph.D. and Bikini witches brew by Jonathan M. Weisgall.

War ends! -- "Washington Girls". David Brinkley on "Washington Girls" -- Europe here I come. USS Fall River (CA-131)--Stats and organization -- En route to Bikini, 31 Jan-27 May 1946 : Norfolk to Panama Canal Zone, 31 Jan- 5 Feb -- Panama Canal Zone to San Pedro, 9-16 Feb -- San Pedro, California, 16 Feb-6 Mar -- San Pedro to Pearl Harbor, 6-12 Mar -- Pearl Harbor, territory of Hawaii, 12 Mar-21 May -- Pearl Harbor to Bikini, 21-27 May -- Shipboard routine charts -- Operation Crossroads : The plan -- The build-up -- The rehearsal, Queen Day, 24 June -- The big day, Test Able, 1 Jul -- The lull between tests, 2-24 Jul -- Test Baker, 25 Jul -- Preliminary observations -- Homeward bound, Aug 1946 -- Later lessons learned : Operation Crossroads / by Oscar Rosen, Ph.D. -- Bikini witch's brew / by Jonathan M. Weisgall -- Epilogue. Fall River : her short life -- Fall River Shipmates Reunited Five Decades Later -- Appendix. Development of the Atomic Bomb -- Bibliography. Nuclear Weapons Testing and Its Aftermath.