Page "Operation Castle" Paragraph 3

Operation Castle was considered by government officials to be a success as it proved the feasibility of deployable " dry fuel " designs for thermonuclear weapons.

There were technical difficulties with some of the tests: one device had a yield much lower than its predicted yield ( a " fizzle "), while two other devices detonated with over twice their predicted yields.

One test in particular, Castle Bravo, resulted in extensive radiological contamination of nearby islands ( including inhabitants and U. S. soldiers stationed there ), as well as a nearby Japanese fishing boat ( Daigo Fukuryū Maru ), resulting in one direct fatality and continued health problems for many of those exposed.

Public reaction to the tests and an awareness of the long-range effects of nuclear fallout has been attributed as being part of the motivation for the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963.