Disappeared News

by Larry Geller

Google can take me off in strange directions. I was just researching the history of HECO power outages when lo and behold, I find myself snatched back in time almost 47 years. It was July 9, 1962 and Hawaii was part of a cold war experiment.

It seems that there was an atmospheric nuclear test launched from Johnston Island in 1962. 800-1000 miles away. It was dubbed Starfish, and look at what happened here as a result of the electromagnetic wave it produced:

In those days the streetlights were probably incandescent lamps so the burst of energy blew the fuses. Radio equipment used vacuum tubes, and there were no electronics at all. Semiconductors should be even more sensitive and would likely have been damaged. The part about “car ignitions fused” I don’t understand.

Anyway, this reminded me that we really are on “ground zero” due to the heavy military presence in the state. The military knows all about this stuff and supposedly has hardened their equipment. So while our cars’ ignitions might fuse, our lights and phones go dead, they supposedly will be ok. Maybe, maybe not. It’s not 1962 and who knows how strong a wave might be created by an enemy.

If you’re curious about Starfish, I found this document and this one and this one. And this one. Keep in mind as you read that the explosion was rather small and far away. If Osama has a map of Hawaii on his cave wall, he could do better than these folks did. Or North Korea, etc.

Having been distracted so thoroughly I thought that I’d at least check to see if the military has dug themselves in enough to protect against this kind of electromagnetic pulse. Indeed they have. In fact, they’ve recently redecorated their underground digs on Oahu.

First, to assure you that this electromagnetic pulse stuff is still real, here is a leaked document describing an AT&T pulse test room, to see if equipment can survive when the wave hits it. This particular room doesn’t seem to be located in Hawaii.

But this room is right here on Oahu. It’s an NSA spy facility. It’s no secret where this is, though this document would give Osama a few details. Read down through the Georgia stuff until you hit the Kunia Naval Security pages. Basically, they are dug in, but the facilities date from 1942 and hey, it’s about time Uncle Sam spent a few bucks on renovation. The document is an NSA budget sheet with some details. Both this and the previous are courtesy Wikileaks, a great site to get lost in.

I can’t imagine what it must have felt like to have had a nuclear bomb go off practically next door, leading to all these disturbances. Does anyone remember what it was like? Were people ok with it, or were they shocked?

Permalink posted by Larry @ 1/02/2009 11:26:00 PM