The thermo-nuclear device swings beneath tethered blimps 411m above Christmas Island.

Operation Grapple – 50 years on and the veterans’ still wait

By Lieutenant Commander (Retd) Gerry Wright RNZN

The morning of Tuesday, 23 November, 1958, was fine with a gentle easterly breeze as the frigate HMNZS PUKAKI lay stopped 20 miles [37km] east of Christmas Island in the mid Pacific Ocean.

This was to be the day of Burgee 2, Britain’s final hydrogen bomb test in the Pacific. Everyone aboard PUKAKI was dressed in full action working dress with anti-flash gloves and hoods and trousers tucked into their socks. All those not on watch were on the upper deck to watch the test.

The conversation was about going home. This was the fourth test of this final series. It was now a well exercised routine for everyone. On the bridge the CO, Lieutenant Commander Bernie Elliott, could see the string of four RAF barrage balloons suspending the thermo-nuclear device 1350 feet [411m] over the south east corner of Christmas Island. It would be a trigger for the future operational weapon. The Americans had accepted that Britain was capable of producing its own hydrogen bomb and was prepared to sign a US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement which allowed the sharing of nuclear weapon technology.

Around the horizon was a scattering of white, fluffy cumulus cloud but there was no Valiant bomber flying overhead. This weapon was so small that it was able to be lifted above the coral sands by the barrage balloons. By 0830 [8.30am] all those not on watch were assembling on the open upper deck. At 0845 everyone mustered on the port side and sat down facing inboard. The countdown from Christmas Island control was coming through loud and clear. At one minute to go everyone covered their eyes with their gloved hands and waited.

The countdown was broadcast over the ship’s loudspeaker system. “Five, four, three, two, one”, FLASH – for a split second everyone saw the bones of their fingers illuminated by the flash of the detonation. Then the heat of the fireball was felt on the ir backs. It seemed to last a long time but was probably only for a second or two. In the silence the count up to 15 seconds came over the speaker system. Then came the order, “Uncover your eyes. Stand up and turn around.”

There, above the distant horizon, an angry fireball looked like the rising sun on a clear day. It was a pulsing ball of fire quickly rising towards the heavens. Then just as quickly it was enveloped in grey and black smoke as a plume raced skywards. Tongues of red flame swirled about within the column of smoke until it reached the outer levels of the atmosphere to begin spreading out in the now familiar mushroom cloud.

	The scene from the air moments after the device was detonated.

Conversation was muted as everyone watched in awe. In the words of Sub Lieutenant Terry Ford, “It was frightening. It seemed alive and viciously angry. In colour it was dark red with solid, black fluctuating streaks. The rotating motion was violent, distorted and threatening. The upward movement was rapid. It projected a feel of horror – and I felt fear.” And yet, it was such a small weapon with a yield of just 25 kilotons [the explosive equal to 25,000 tons of TNT].

In the late 1980s veterans became worried about the numbers of their ex-shipmates who were experiencing health issues. Some were dying of cancer. An Auckland general practitioner, Dr Graham Gulbransen, also noticed the trend and advertised for veterans to come forward. He carried out a survey of veterans’ health.

A group of veterans, led by ex-Petty Officer Telegraphist Roy Sefton, then organized a reunion/conference in Palmerston North which received a good turnout of veterans. The New Zealand Nuclear Tests Veterans Association (NZNTVA) was formed to coordinate groups that were making noises through the media without united strength.

Some spoke of genetic defects in their children. The widow of Padre Roy McKenzie, Ruth McKenzie, stepped forward and volunteered to collect data on veteran’s health issues. Two others, Arthur Venus and Fred Hanson, stepped up and searched the old Navy posting records to develop crew lists of those who attended Operation Grapple. These two tasks took the best part of two years to complete.

Then came the question of what to do with this raw research data. No ship’s log books had survived. Rumors of a cover-up were rife. The NZNTVA lobbied government ministers and Veteran’s Affairs without significant progress until Winston Peters showed interest in the case. As Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance he promised $200,000 to fund research into the nuclear veterans’ health issues. Prime Minister Jenny Shipley subsequently vetoed the funding. However, the NZNTVA did manage to have Operation Grapple classified as EMERGENCY status under the War Pensions Act. Veterans at last were able to seek medical assistance though Veterans Affairs.

In the lead up to the 1999 general election the NZNTVA lobbied the Labour Party in particular to make the promised funding available. NZNTVA proposed that the funding be used for research based on a model established by St Andrews University in Scotland and to discreetly look at the possibility of a legal class action against the British government. In 2001 the Labour led government presented NZNTVA with a cheque for $200,000 with the proviso that half would be used for research along the lines of the St Andrews University research.

NZNTVA then funded Dr Al Rowland of the Institute of Molecular BioScience at Massey University to investigate DNA damage in nuclear veterans. At the same time the veterans themselves raised a further $120,000 to support the research programme. To carry out the investigation blood samples were taken from 50 veterans and a similar group of non veterans.

The New Zealand War Pensions Medical Research Trust Fund Board also funded Dr Rowland’s laboratory to carry out research known as the Sister Chromatid Exchange (SCE). In 2005 a report was released stating:

The results reported here demonstrate the presence of elevated disturbances in peripheral lymphocytes of New Zealand nuclear test veterans nearly 50 years after the Operation Grapple series of nuclear tests. The effect size is weak but nevertheless observable and significant.

A statistically significant increased level of . . . SCE frequency was observed in the veterans compared to a matched control group, even after adjusting for confounding factors. This assay is accepted internationally as an indicator of genotoxicity, which leads us to conclude that the New Zealand nuclear test veterans have experienced some genetic damage as a consequence of their involvement in Operation Grapple. These veterans should thus be considered an at risk group that deserves special medical monitoring.

Because chromosomal disturbances involve the hereditary material, we would suggest that the children of these veterans also deserve investigation.

Also in 2005, Professor John Podd of the School of Psychology, Massey University, released the Psychological Impact Study. This report found: The exposed men were considerably more depressed than the controls, had poorer perceived physical and mental health and poorer perceived memory. They also had long term health problems. These are exactly the results to be expected from people under stress.

These stress levels may be further exacerbated by the men’s frustration at the perceived lack of progress in resolving the issues arising from their nuclear exposure to radiation 40 years ago. The results show that the psychological profile of these men is far from normal.

In March 2007 Dr Al Rowland wrote a preliminary CAP report stating: I can confirm that we have been able to demonstrate with the mFISH assay that the New Zealand nuclear test veterans who participated in Operation Grapple have incurred long term genetic damage.

These reports are still being studied by the government. NZNTVA has approached the new Minister of Veterans Affairs to initiate use of the Massey/NZNTVA research to assist the nuclear veterans. A reply is awaited.

Update. On 21 Jan 1000 veterans, including New Zealanders, took their multimillion-pound compensation claim against the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) to the High Court in London. NZNTVA Chairman Roy Sefton said that Massey University research showed that NZ servicemen exposed to the tests suffered three times the normal rate of mutations to their chromosomes. The Massy research is a key element in the veterans’ case.

The UK Government’s series of atomic and thermonuclear weapons tests on the Australian mainland, on Christmas Island and elsewhere in the South Pacific involved some 25,000 members of the British (many national servicemen), Australian and New Zealand armed forces and some Fijians took part in the testing either actively or as bystanders.