Pig No. 311 was the most famous of the 3,352 following exposure to the atomic bomb detonation and radiation during the 1946 Operation Crossroads. A wriggly 50-pounder shot, No. 311 was imprisoned in the officers' lavatory (toilet) of the Japanese light carrier Sakawa. No. 311 was seen paddling gamely in the radioactive material seas of Bikini Lagoon hours just after Sakawa had sunk. She was irritated and had a reduced blood count, but 'after a week she appeared to have healed,' referring to an archive news article from the Times.

During mid-1946, the United States carried out two nuclear weapons trials on a remote Pacific atoll, through which numerous animals were purposefully subjected to the explosion to assess the effects of radioactivity.

While the majority of these critters were killed instantly by the blasts, others survived (at least at first), and the interesting storyline of one pig, in particular, has piqued the interest of many people ever since. This pig 311 is said to have survived the first of two nuclear tests and was sent to the United States, whence she remained for a further four years.

The 1946 Atomic Weapon Test

The nuclear tests took place only about a year after the United States detonated two atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima on August 6 and 9, 1945, as part of a military campaign known as Operation Crossroads.

As reported by Run Down Bulletin, the test results, dubbed "Able" and "Baker," took place on July 1 and July 25 at Bikini Atoll, a ring-shaped body of water in the central Pacific that is part of the Marshall Islands.

The experiments were conducted to examine the effects of nuclear explosives on Navy warships, and over 90 ships were employed as targets, including antiquated US battleships including submarines, along with surrendering German and Japanese warships. Baker, the second bomb, exploded 90 feet underwater.

The US army also deployed thousands of animals-primarily rodents, but also pigs, guinea pigs, goats, and mice-on 22 of the target ships to research how the bomb explosions would impact animals. Following a 1947 official report, those animals were later evacuated and sent to a support ship designated as the USS Burleson for evaluation and medical treatment shortly after the explosions of Test Able, in which the majority of the species were utilized.

A study revealed that Pig 311 was able to survived atomic bomb test in 1946 and lived 4 years before its demise.
(Photo : AMERICA EATS AND GIGGLES IN 1946 – PAST DAILY GALLIMAUFRY)
Number 311: Atomic Pig And All Things Porcine and Epicurean – A study revealed that Pig 311 was able to survived atomic bomb test in 1946 and lived 4 years before its demise.


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The Effects of Nuclear Weapons on Animals

The initial blast killed some animals (about 10%). Many more perished in the weeks and months that followed as a result of the symptoms of radiation sickness. Some of them made their way back to the United States, where researchers continued to examine them.

However, one astonishing narrative emerged from the tests: the one of Pig 311. According to 1940s media stories, this cat was imprisoned in an officers' bathroom onboard the Japanese battleship Sakawa during the Able test.

Sakawa, which was approximately 420 yards from the site of detonation, burned for 24 hours until sinking on July 2. As per sources, Pig 311 survived both the explosion and the wreckage of its vessel and was discovered wandering within Bikini Atoll water a day later. The piglet was the lone animal survivor from Sakawa, according to a 1947 article in Life magazine.

This 50-pound, 6-month-old pig displayed indications of radiation illness when she was discovered and described as "grumpy, and had a reduced blood count," but she appeared to have recovered within a month.

In a report from Newsweek, the researchers performed blood tests on the pig regularly to measure the extent of radiation damage, but the pig looked to be in pretty decent shape, save from the reality that she was infertile. Scientists had made multiple unsuccessful efforts to breed her, however, it is unknown whether this is due to the consequences of the explosion. Pig 311 died soon after, on July 8, 1950, a little over 4 years after being subjected to the explosion. The origin of the pig's demise was not revealed.

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