Operation Hardtack II

Operation Hardtack II
Hardtack De Baca
Information
Country	United States
Test site	Nevada Test Site
Period	April–October 1958
Number of tests	37
Max. yield	22 kilotons
Navigation
Previous test	Operation Argus
Next test	Operation Nougat

Operation Hardtack II was a series of 37 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1958 at the Nevada Test Site.

With test moratoriums on the horizon, American weapons labs rushed out many new designs. After the conclusion of Hardtack II, the United States announced a unilateral testing moratorium, which the Soviet Union joined until September, 1961. In September 1961, the Soviet Union resumed nuclear testing, and the United States followed suit with Operation Nougat.

Test Blasts

Hardtack II Test Blasts

Test Name	Date	Location	Yield	Note
Otero	12 September 1958	NTS Area 3q	0.038 kilotons	1PT, failed
Bernalillo	17 September 1958	NTS Area 3h	0.015 kilotons	1PT; unsafe
Eddy	19 September 1958	NTS Area 7b	0.083 kilotons	balloon shot
Luna	21 September 1958	NTS Area 3m	0.0015 kilotons	1PT; unsafe
Mercury	23 September 1958	NTS Area 12f	"slight"	1PT
Valencia	26 September 1958	NTS Area 3r	0.002 kilotons	1PT
Mars	28 September 1958	NTS Area 12f	0.013 kilotons	1PT
Mora	29 September 1958	NTS Area 7b	2 kilotons	balloon shot; fizzled
Hidalgo	5 October 1958	NTS Area 7b	0.077 kilotons	balloon test; failed
Colfax	5 October 1958	NTS Area 3k	0.0055 kilotons	1PT; failed
Tamalpais	8 October 1958	NTS Area 12b	0.072 kilotons
Quay	10 October 1958	NTS Area 7c	0.079 kilotons	tower shot
Lea	13 October 1958	NTS Area 7b	1.4 kilotons	balloon shot; fizzled
Neptune	14 October 1958	NTS Area 12c	0.115 kilotons	1pt; failed
Hamilton	15 October 1958	NTS Area 5	0.0012	tower shot; fizzled
Logan	16 October 1958	NTS Area 12e	5 kilotons
Dona Ana	16 October 1958	NTS Area 7b	0.037 kilotons
Vesta	17 October 1958	NTS Area 9e	0.024 kilotons	1pt; surface shot; failed
Rio Arriba	18 October 1958	NTS Area 3s	0.090 kilotons	tower shot
San Juan	20 October 1958	NTS Area 3p	"zero"	1pt
Socorro	22 October 1958	NTS Area 3b	6 kilotons	balloon shot
Wrangell	22 October 1958	NTS Area 5	0.115 kilotons	balloon shot; fizzle
Oberon	22 October 1958	NTS Area 8a	"zero"	1pt
Rushmore	22 October 1958	NTS Area 9a	0.188 kilotons	balloon test; fizzle
Catron	24 October 1958	NTS Area 3T	0.021 kilotons	1pt; failed
Juno	24 October 1958	NTS Area 9f	0.0017 kilotons	1pt, surface shot
Ceres	26 October 1958	NTS Area 3b	0.0007 kilotons	1pt; tower shot
Sanford	26 October 1958	NTS Area 5	4.9 kilotons	balloon shot
De Baca	26 October 1958	NTS Area 7b	2.2 kilotons	balloon shot
Chavez	27 October 1958	NTS Area 3u	0.0006 kilotons	1pt; tower shot; failed
Evans	29 October 1958	NTS Area 12b	0.055 kilotons	fizzle
Mazama	29 October 1958	NTS Area 9	"zero"	fizzle
Humboldt	29 October 1958	NTS Area 3v	0.0078 kilotons	tower shot
Santa Fe	30 October 1958	NTS Area 7b	1.3 kilotons	balloon shot
Ganymede	30 October 1958	NTS Area 9g	"zero"	1pt; surface shot
Blanca	30 October 1958	NTS Area 12e	22 kilotons	largest test on Hardtack II
Titania	30 October 1958	NTS Area 3c	0.0002 kilotons	1pt; tower shot

See also

• Operation Hardtack I

References

• Chuck Hansen, U. S. Nuclear Weapons: The Secret History (Arlington: AeroFax, 1988) ISBN 0-517-56740-7
• The Nuclear Weapons Archive
• "United States Nuclear Tests, July 1945 through September 1992 (DOE/NV-209)" (pdf). U.S. Department of Energy Nevada Operations Office. 2000. http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/publications/historical/DOENV_209_REV15.pdf. 

External links

• The short film Operation HARDTACK Military Effects Studies Part I: Basic Effects Structures and Materiel (1958) is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
• The short film Operation HARDTACK Military Effects Studies Part II: Underwater Tests (1958) is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
• The short film Operation HARDTACK Military Effects Studies Part III: High Altitude Tests (1958) is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
• The short film Operation HARDTACK Military Effects Studies: Part IV - Sub-kiloton effects is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]