Grant Powers, USMC: Witness to the A-Bomb’s Deadly Force

Combat artists record the first atomic explosions in the South Pacific

Mike Hour, 13”h x 21”w., watercolor on illustration board by Grant Powers, USMC. At 0900 on July 1st, test ABLE detonated about 518 feet above the target fleet. The surface temperature of the resulting fireball was about 100,000 degrees Fahrenheit, scorching wood, paint and metal alike. © Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, DC

In the summer of 1946, official combat artist Grant J. Powers, USMC (1899-1978) was brought in by the U.S. Navy to witness and record, in art, the first two atmospheric nuclear weapon tests at the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Two other artists were an eyewitness to this real danger and existential threat to mankind.

The test series named Operation Crossroads consisted of two detonations, a low altitude test and a shallow water test. Each device had a yield of 21 kilotons and were named ABLE and BAKER. It was intended to study the effects of nuclear weapons on warships, equipment, and material. But it was clearly intended to make a statement of power to the Soviet Union.

Plus 3 Seconds, 15”h x 20”w., watercolor on illustration board by Grant Powers, USMC. The bomb cloud has formed four distinct parts. At sea level, the blast wave has expanded horizontally, blasting through the anchored fleet at the bottom of the cloud. The stem and mushroom cap have formed, with lingering remnants of the initial atomic reaction coloring the clouds. © Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, DC

These two Crossroads detonations were major media and scientific events. Scientists studied the nuclear weapon explosion phenomena and radiation contamination.  Newspaper, magazine, and radio correspondents were allowed to cover the test atomic bomb explosions, as the Military phrased it, "with sufficient thoroughness to satisfy the public as to the fairness and general results of the experiment.”

Powers was commissioned to make paintings that were informative, but he took it further. His images of sequential atomic cloud formations and the decimation of warships have an ominous quality. He saw his reportage as significant in sharing to the world how we would now be faced with the possibly of a nuclear war.

0900 Through Protective Goggles on the USS Appalachian, 24”h x 30”w., watercolor on illustration board by Grant Powers, USMC . USS Appalachian was the press ship from which most of the observers watched the bombs. Those who look directly at the blast could experience eye damage ranging from temporary blindness to severe burns on the retina.  Goggles were worn during the initial phase of the explosion, when the fireball was brighter than the sun, but then taken off later as the protective glass was too dark to view the rest of the bomb phenomena. © Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, DC

Powers’ paintings were both scientific and aesthetic. He was able to capture the dynamic action of destroyers and cruisers exploding in flames, and the scattering of fireballs and bomb debris. He also had an ability to capture the explosion’s aftermath, like Navy tug boats fighting deck fires and sinking transports.

Plus 1 Second, Carlisle and Gillian Transports Take It on the Bottom, 13”h x 21”w., watercolor on illustration board by Grant Powers, USMC. Due to a bombing error, the ABLE device exploded almost directly over the attack transport USS Gillian. It was flattened by the force of the blast and sank in under one minute. USS Carlisle was tossed about 150 yards by the blast. Battered and on fire, the ship sank in flames shortly thereafter. To the right is former Japanese cruiser Sakawa, which sank the next day following severe superstructure and hull damage. © Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, DC

Explosion on DD-367, 15”h x 20”w., watercolor on illustration board by Grant Powers, USMC.  The destroyer USS Lamson, although moored over 600 yards away from ground zero, suffered an explosion from the force of test ABLE and sank that afternoon. © Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, DC

These above-ground tests generated quite a bit of radioactive fallout. Individuals near the blast site would be exposed to high levels of radiation and could develop symptoms of radiation sickness. But winds carried heavy fallout over the populated atolls to the east of Bikini. 23 fishermen who were downwind of the blast were exposed and all developed leukemia and thyroid cancer within a decade. The U.S. conducted 65 thermonuclear tests in the Marshall Islands, before they were moved to a test facility in Nevada.

Also present at these tests were two other artists, including Captain Charles Bittinger, USNR (1879-1970), who was known for his skill at painting the terrible beauty of ‘mushroom’ clouds.

The First Bomb at Bikini, 30”h x 36”w., oil on canvas by Captain Charles Bittinger, USNR. Captured at the peak of formation, this painting illustrates the classic mushroom cloud shape. The pink color of the cloud is due to the oxidation of nitrogen caused by high heat and radiation from the explosion. The rapidly cooling fireball is the cause of the red glow seen deep within the cloud. The blast wave created the massive waves and steam that engulfed the target fleet at the bottom. © Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, DC The Baker Bomb at Bikini, 31”h x 37”w., oil on canvas by Captain Charles Bittinger, USNR. The cloud at its peak, showing the water column and the familiar cauliflower-shaped cloud of water vapor. Millions of gallons of water hung in the atmosphere, where they mixed with fission particles and became highly radioactive.  © Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, DC

Lieutenant Commander Arthur Beaumont, USNR (1890-1978) was especially good at depicting mangled destroyers and cruisers, that suffered heavy damage and contamination after the blasts.

Japanese Cruiser Sakawa Sinking, 17”h x 20”w., watercolor on paper by Lieutenant Commander Arthur Beaumont, USNR. The former Japanese cruiser Sakawa sank in frothy green waters the day after test ABLE. Damaged battleships USS Nevada and Nagato are in the background. © Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, DC

This was the dawn of the atomic age. Powers, Bittinger and Beaumont played an essential role in providing us with the implications of a future with nuclear weapons on human civilization. All three artists continued their service drawing and painting in the South Pacific. After te War they returned to their wives and families and lived long lives.

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More Resources:

Here is a listing of artists found within the U.S. Navy Art Collection. This extraordinary archive of art and documents are significant to the history of the Navy and includes over 20,000 paintings, prints, drawings, and engravings from all eras and wars of U.S. Naval history.

Here's a thought-provoking book of essays from Japanese and American artists and scholars with responses to the atomic bomb.

Here’s a huge cache of photographs, IDs, photos, a scrapbook and a diary from Grant Power's time at Iwo Jima and elsewhere that he served.