 laboratory one, orford ness number 4, suffolk, england May 09, 2007 I'm afraid that James can't be with us this today to continue the tour of Orford Ness. On Monday he climbed the ladder to the loft with the intention of facing whatever lay within the it's loft-lagged lair. That was two days ago. He hasn't returned.* Please take this guide book and, taking care not to disturb any ground-nesting birds, proceed along the shingle path to your left until you come to Laboratory One. 'Before and during WW2, radar was developed at Orford Ness. The original test to see if a plane could be detected in the air had told 'the boffins' that it was possible (Daventry 26th February 1935) and it was eventually decided to pursue the detection of aircraft and other vehicles and ships by radio reflections at Bawdsey Manor and Orford Ness, both on the same stretch of Suffolk coast. The results are history, but it was highly secret then, just before WW2. More practical tests were carried out here on munitions and their effects. Huge amounts of development work on bombs, from WW1 to the nuclear age was undertaken here. The ballistic shape of bombs was decided by drop tests done here. From apple sized WW1 bombs to the huge 22,000 pound Grand Slam bomb. What remains from this era is a legacy of unexploded ordinance and very few buildings. Perhaps the part of the site which still holds the most interest and intrigue are the pagodas used for atomic bomb testing which can still be seen today. Some contained a pit (see photo above) into which very large weapons such as Britain's first atomic bomb, Blue Danube, could be lowered by a 10-ton crane, prior to vibration units being attached. A light aluminium roof was designed to blow off in the event of an accident. Later test cells had heavy reinforced concrete roofs designed to absorb a blast and any objects thrown out by an accidental explosion.The tests were designed to mimic the rigours to which a weapon might be subjected before detonation, and included vibration, extremes of temperature, shocks and G forces. Although no nuclear material was said to be involved the high explosive initiator was present and a test failure might have resulted in a catastrophic explosion.' Phew, that's a lot to take in, isn't it? Don't forget that there will be a test at the end of the visit. * A note for James' parents only, who occasionaly look at Plasticfantastic and are prone to worry – your son is alive and well. Holga CGFN + Fujifilm Superia 400 © James Arnold 2007 Comment (13) | Permalink |
