Bikini Atoll, Castle Bravo, and the Ongoing Fight for Compensation

BIKINI ATOLL, CASTLE BRAVO, AND THE ONGOING FIGHT FOR COMPENSATION

By bblouin

You can pick anywhere you’d like in the world and you’d have a hard time surpassing the beauty found at Bikini Atoll. Found in a very remote part of the world, you can find 23 islands making up the atoll where coral reefs and beautiful water abound. However, following the American success in World War II, with a specific focus on nuclear weapons, the U.S. needed a place to conduct testing. While the Bikini Atoll test was a good idea because of its remote location, it was and continues to be a devastating environmental disaster. It would claim the islands of Aerokojlol, Bokonijien, and Namu because of vaporization. Today, the area is still reeling from these actions, even if it did somewhat inspire a popular cartoon series.

Is Bikini Atoll Still Radioactive?

Sadly, Bikini Atoll is still radioactive because of the testing that went on in a post-WWII world. This is in part because it was a single Bikini Atoll nuclear test but actually over 20 weapons were detonated in the area as the U.S. was trying to win an arms race. It wasn’t just the Bikini Atoll bomb either that the region was dealing with. The United States also tested nuclear weapons near Enewetak Atoll as well. Bikini Atoll mutated animals were a concern but overall, they faired out better than expected. Initially, many died immediately, and then in the days and weeks to come after the first nuclear blast. However, the mystery of Pig 311, would produce a miraculous story of a 6-month-old piglet that somehow survived the Able test. Despite not doing well after it was found swimming in the ocean, 311 did recover. Still, the radiation remains a problem. Even today, radiation is still a problem. But for adventure seekers, you can visit for the day and dive among radioactive ships if you so choose.

Where Is Bikini Atoll?

You’ll find the Bikini Atoll Marshall Islands in the Republic of the same name. Between the Philippines and Hawaii as a part of Oceania and Micronesia, the coral atoll is one of the many stunning landscapes found throughout the Pacific Ocean.

Castle Bravo

America made a huge mistake. Rather than accurately accounting for the size of the blast that occurred during Castle Bravo, which was forecast to be 6 megatons (Mt) of TNT, a reaction with lithium-7 generated 15 Mt, 2.5 times the size.On March 1, 1954, as a part of Operation Castle, the Castle Bravo bomb detonated and changed the lives of those in the region forever.Neighboring atolls Rongelap and Utirik were facing the aftermath. Bikini was effectively destroyed, and that was just part of it.There were 23 Japanese fishermen aboard the Daigo Fukuryū Maru (Lucky Dragon No. 5) who would have radiation fallout exposure.Reports from the area state that fisherman were believing the ash to be snow. They even tried to catch snowflakes on their tongues.Furthermore, American Sailors aboard the USS Patapsco, a tanker ship, didn’t have a way to wash off contamination. They sadly exposed the crew to fallout after an engine failure kept them in the area.The Southwestern portion of the United States were experiencing impacts from radiation from Castle Bravo as were Australia, India, Japan, and even parts of Europe.Effectively, the Castle Bravo disaster affected the entire world and changed the way nations looked at atmospheric testing for such weapons.Today, the Castle Bravo crater is a notable landmark of the Bikini Atoll. Additionally, it is a reminder of the consequences our acts of war can have, well beyond the initial event.

Is Bikini Bottom Based on Bikini Atoll?

The parallels have gone from interesting connections to full-blown conspiracy theories. It’s impossible to separate the iconic character of SpongeBob totally from the Bikini Atoll. This is because the influence is evident throughout the series. Although Stephen Hillenburg’s iconic cartoon series on Nickelodeon wasn’t completely accurate, you can see the island depicted on the show. The series also primarily takes place in a town known as Bikini Bottom. If the conspiracies are true, the animals can talk because they are mutated animals that survived the blasts. The Bikini Atoll SpongeBob connections are another example of art imitating, or at least drawing inspiration from, historical events.

Can You Visit Bikini Atoll?

Adventurous travelers can visit Bikini Atoll. However, there are going to be several things you need to know before you book your trip:

Don’t expect to drink or eat anything from the area.
It’s a remote area in an already remote area. Nobody said it would be a cheap or easy endeavor.
Divers love the chance to swim among the shipwrecks but due to the nature of the area. However, it’s not a good idea to take on this challenge if you don’t have a notable amount of experience with SCUBA beforehand.

The nuclear testing from the United States displaced 167 Marshallese who were turned into refugees as they were evacuated from their homes as the Cold War demanded greater knowledge about how to end humanity. Bikini Atoll before and after became two different worlds. Now, it’s getting closer to eight decades than seven where there is still radiation impacting the area. Despite decades of agreeing to clean up the area, the United States continues to lack in its commitment. It’s a complicated relationship. The Republic of Marshall Islands relies on America for most of its budget. However, the nuclear testing and lack of cleaning remains a sore spot. It’s encouraging that some experts believe a turnaround is happening in the area. However, trust remains wary of these findings and that anything substantial is coming in the future.

Does Anyone Live on Bikini Atoll?

While there are residents who take care of the area, and others still living in the Republic of Marshall Islands, nobody lives on Bikini Atoll.The nuclear testing from the United States displaced 167 Marshallese who were turned into refugees as they were evacuated from their homes as the Cold War demanded greater knowledge about how to end humanity.Bikini Atoll before and after became two different worlds. Now, it’s getting closer to eight decades of when the area first began experiencing radiation harm.Despite decades of agreeing to clean up the area, the United States continues to lack in its commitment to actually do so. It’s a complicated relationship.The Republic of Marshall Islands relies on America for most of its budget but the nuclear testing and lack of cleaning remains a sore spot.It’s encouraging that some experts believe a turnaround is happening in the area. However, trust remains wary of these findings and that anything substantial is coming in the future.

Compact of Free Association (COFA) and Compensation Delays

The Castle Bravo test and all of the others displaced a population and continue to affect generations who came after.Operating with a COFA, the United States and the Marshall Islands have aligned economic interests.America provides federal benefits and has even provided provisions for compensation based on our testing there.However, individuals have been looking for billions of dollars in compensation, but there has been only hundreds of millions in payment.Damages found after 1986 have caused the Marshall Islands to seek more funding, which in comparatively small amounts have been added.However, several attempts to work on a solution through Congress have been either rejected altogether, ignored, or not fully realized.Receiving $600+ million is far from a small sum. In total, more than $2.5 billion has been paid out by the U.S.But it’s clear that such compensation is not nearly enough compared to the deviation that continues to affect Bikini Atoll today.$7.1 billion is going to go to countries in the area over the next two decades; however, the United States has waited to apologize and there is no guarantee it will fulfill its commitments.Additionally, the radiation is still an issue. Hopefully, the U.S. will fulfill its commitment and help accelerate the area becoming livable again for those who once called it home.Calls both from the Pacific and within the United States continue to help advocate for the rightful restoration and compensation of Bikini Atoll.Suggested reads:

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons