[Portcall24]

Thanks to all for a fascinating and informative thread, including the comments.

[Paal Gulli]

This is Dr. Harold Agnew. He was one of the scientists responsible for assembling the atomic bombs on Tinian. A couple of days before this photo, he witnessed the nuking of Hiroshima from the observation B-29 that flew in trail of the Enola Gay.

The thing he's carrying that looks like a lady's handbag is a box containing the fissile core of the Fat Man bomb.

Inside the box is a plutonium sphere about four inches in diameter and weighing about 14 pounds. Only about two pounds actually is involved in the reaction (the rest is lost due to inefficiency of the design) and only a single gram -- about 1/30th of an ounce -- actually is converted to energy.

And he's carrying it like it was his lunch bucket.

[Paal Gulli]

One of the most interesting aspects (IMHO) of the atomic weapons program:

Atomic John

A truck driver uncovers secrets about the first nuclear bombs.

[Lean-Right]

If you came across “fat man” in the
desert in 1947, could it be mistaken
for a UFO?

[Delta 21]

The beach on Tinian where the first atomic devices were delivered to the island.
My last duty station was a CG Cutter on Guam and we made several trips to Tinian.
It was a real privilege to see this site in person.

I am glad to see the restoration work on the bomb pits and the glass covers with more documentation of these events.
I took these pics in 1999.

Wide angle patchwork of both bomb pits at the end of the runway.

I was also stationed at White Sands Missile Range for a tour and drove by the missile park every day.
The warm and fuzzy you get from seeing the FatMan casing, and Pershing ICBM
every day on your way to work helps one keep your focus.

I have been to the Trinity site twice, as well.
Bucket list item that remains unfulfilled (yet)
is diving on the USS Saratoga (CV-3) and standing on her flight deck a hundred feet below sea level.

SO VERY COOL !!

[Darth Mall]

BFL