Operation Hurricane

The story of Britain’s first atomic test in Australia and the legacy that remains 

By Paul Grace
Published by Hachette
RRP $34.99 in paperback  |  ISBN 9780733650543

At 0800 hours on Friday 3 October 1952, Britain’s first atomic bomb was detonated in the hold of a surplus frigate, HMS Plym, moored in the Montebello Islands, fifty miles off the northwest coast of Western Australia.

The blast vaporised the Plym, produced a mushroom cloud two miles high, and covered the islands and parts of the Australian mainland with fallout.

The test, codenamed ‘Operation Hurricane’, was the culmination of years of top-secret planning in London and Canberra and months of clandestine preparations at the site.

Author Paul Grace’s interest in this project stemmed from his grandfather’s role as an RAAF Dakota pilot tasked with flying security patrols and coastal monitoring sorties.

This was the first of a number of atomic bomb tests conducted in Australia by the British. Prime Minister Robert Menzies appears to have agreed to the British request immediately without consultation with his Cabinet colleagues.

And the outcome for Australia? And the legacy? Nothing really except contaminated sites and the long-denied impact on the health and wellbeing of those closest to the test sites. Today, visitors to two islands in the group are advised to limit visits to one hour.

VERDICT: This is a compelling account of the beginnings of atomic testing in Australia and the bitter aftermath.

OF INTEREST: Elizabeth Tynan wrote a lengthy review of this book for the Australian Book Review (October 2023).  (Note: You will need a digital subscription to Australian Book Review to read the review.) Elizabeth Tynan is the author of The Secret of Emu Field: Britain’s Forgotten Atomic Tests in Australia (NewSouth, 2022), which we reviewed on this blog in November 2022. Link here to read that review.