Shangri La (CV 38) - Naval Cruise Book

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Freak crash on fantail - pilot walked away. strips or boron steel bars. With the cadmiu are absorbed into the cadmium to such an extent that chain-reaction is inter- rupted. On Decembe Z 1942 at West Stands? m control strips inserted, neutrons r , , the first known pile was operated successfully Meanwhile, experiment with the cyclotrons Cinvented by Dr. E O Law- rencej at the University of California at Berkeley, and Washington University at St. Louis, had provided about 500 micrograms Qless than a pinhead in sizej of plutonium by bombarding uranyl nitrate. From this microscopic amount, fFor a full report read ATOMIC ENERGY, by H. D. Smyth, Princeton Press.

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as the practical source of iissionable material for the atomic bomb as it is formed from raw uranium and can be separated chemically. Early research by theoretical physicists established the necessity of obtaining uranium, or uranium oxide, refined to a state of over ninety-nine per cent purity. This heavy element had been used to some extent in the ceramics industry but impuritis in the normal commercial oxide were too great Qtwo- to- five per centj to produce U235 and Pu239. The problem of reiinement was solved by the use of an ether extraction, uranyl nitrate, providing better than ninety-nine per cent purity. By the summer of 1942 commercial chemists were producing usable uranium at the rate of a ton per day, solving the quantity production problem of this strategic and important metal. The immediate purpose of the pure uranium was the construction of piles, a lattice of uranium imbedded in graphite moderator blocks forming an oblate spheroid, like a tennis ball at the moment of impact. The use of the light element of carbon Cgraphitej was determined by its characteristic of retarding the speed of neutrons by elastic collision, allowing the operation of the pile at slow speed and temperature. Several other light elements operate even more efficiently, espe- cially deuterium oxide, or heavy water. However, a decision had to be made early for the material for this pile, so graphite was chosen as it was available whereas heavy water was not. Deuterium, which is an isotope of hydrogen, occurs in water, one part in 5,000. At the start of the war only a few litres were available, those being smug- gled out of Norway where the only commercial processing plants in existence were then in operation. The first chain-reacting pile was constructed on a squash court under the west stands of the University of Chicago stadium by Dr. E. Fermi and his col- laborators, under the overall direction of Dr. A. H. Compton. The pile consisted of 12,400 pounds of metal using graphite as a moderator, employing cadmium strips as control bars. Cadmium strips were placed at various intervals through the lattices, accelerating or decelerating by withdrawing or inserting these Sailors entertain orphans for Christmas.

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, Q7 physicists and chemists were able to determine its chemical and physical prop- erties, proving the theoretical physicists to be correct on its atom bomb potential, a tremendously important achievement when it is realized the element did not exist on this planet eighteen months before. Three plutonium plants were under construction soon after the first pile was in operation. The West Stands, or Argonne, plant was primarily a research and investigative operation, producing laboratory quantities at low energy levels. The Metallurgical Laboratory, as the secret project was known, provided the theory and experience for the larger Clinton and Hanford projects before break- ing down the uranium-graphite pile in 1944 to build a new heavy water-uranium pile which exceeded Permi's fondest anticipation, proving the heavy water mod- erator's eflicacy for greater energy output. The Hrst large-scale plant was started at Oak Ridge, Tenn., in January, 1943. Clinton provided a pilot plant for the difficult chemical separation processes while producing an appreciable supply of plutonium and U235 from the more abundant U238. Primarily it served as a biological research laboratory on radio- active gasses and diseases resulting from alpha, beta, and gamma ray radiation. Intelligence reports through the Norwegian underground indicated German con- centration on nuclear fission and hinted a possible recourse to gaseous by-products of her experiments. Trained Norwegian engineers managed to destroy over 1,000 pounds of deuterium oxide and later Allied heavy bombers destroyed the Norsk Hydro heavy water laboratory at Vemark, Norway, killing her leading nuclear physicists in the raid. Clinton's first pile was operated November 4, 1943. The site for the third and largest atomic energy plant was selected in late 1942 by General Groves and representatives of the DuPont Company fwho had reluctantly accepted the tremendous assignment in spite of overwhelming war emergency demands on their other facilities, insisting on a cost-plus-one- dollar contractl. Located on the high, lava plateau regions of thinly populated eastern Washington, the Hanford plant utilizes the unlimited cooling powers of the Columbia River as it tumbles seaward towards the Snake River junction, Spike Jones Party aboard ship. I SPI -WHMQ GQU