USS Pandemonium
_on_Trasure_Island_CA_in_1957.jpg) USS Pandemonium (PCDC-1) in 1957. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Pandemonium |
| Owner | Naval Station Treasure Island |
| Operator |  United States Navy |
| Ordered | November 1955[1] |
| Builder | Biological and Chemical Warfare Defense School Treasure Island[1] |
| Christened | 1 February 1957[1] |
| Out of service | 1992[2]: 205 |
| Identification | Hull number PCDC-1 |
| Fate | Demolished 1996[2]: 205 |
| General characteristics | |
| Length | 173 ft (53 m)[1] |
| Beam | 24 ft (7.3 m)[1] |
| Propulsion | None |
USS Pandemonium (hull number PCDC-1) was a training ship built by the United States Navy on Treasure Island, San Francisco for the purpose of training personnel on atomic-biological-chemical warfare, and specifically for training nuclear fallout decontamination and radiation monitoring procedures.[3] It was described by the Navy as "one of the most realistic training aids" for atomic-biological-chemical warfare.[2]: 162
Construction
[edit]
The USS Pandemonium was a built to be a full-scale mockup of a PC-461-class submarine chaser. It was assembled by the Biological and Chemical Warfare Defense School of Naval Station Treasure Island from refurbished parts and scraps from multiple ships.[1] The construction was based on plans for the USS Kelso, supplemented by photographs of other PC submarine chasers.[1][4] It was built on a large concrete slab in a 400-by-600-foot (120 by 180 m) gravel lot on the north-west section of Treasure Island (now called Site I).[2]: 241 [5]: 44, 207 Eleven tubes were installed in the hull for the purpose of holding cesium-137 sources.[2]: 162
The name Pandemonium was chosen as it described the state of the ship's decks after a simulated enemy attack.[1]
Activities
[edit]Site I
[edit]
Initially, training aboard the Pandemonium only consisted of radiation monitoring. The ship had eleven locations where sealed cesium-137 radiation sources could be raised out of lead shielded tubes by an instructor,[2]: 162 and each cesium source had a radioactivity content of 0.65 Curies.[6] The radiation from the sources were intended to accurately model the radiation exposure that sailors would experience after a ship was covered in fallout from a thermonuclear bomb detonation.[6] Students would practice locating those sources using radiac detectors.[3]
As a result of Operation Hardtack in 1958, it was noted that a large surface of short-lived radioactive isotopes would more accurately simulate radioactive fallout than individual cesium sources.[2]: 164 For this purpose, the Atomic Energy Commission authorized the use of short-lived radioactive isotopes in 1963, specifically bromine-80, bromine-82, sodium-24, and potassium-42.[5]: 44 A water tank was built near the Pandemonium to hold a solution of bromine-82, a radioactive isotope with a half-life of approximately 35 hours (the other permitted isotopes were not used on the Pandemonium).[2]: 165 [6] Students would douse the hull of the ship with this solution using a sprayer, covering the entire hull, then scrub the hull clean.[3][6] This contaminated water was then allowed to seep into the gravel lot of Site I. In 1971, The Navy built two storage tanks to collect the contaminated water and allow it to decay before discharging it into the San Francisco Bay.[2]: 165
Training activities aboard the USS Pandemonium took six weeks. During that time, students were exposed to up to 300 millirem of radiation per week.[6]
Site II
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From May 1969 through September 1970, the USS Pandemonium was moved to the north-east section of Treasure Island (now called Site II).[2]: 166 It was refurbished to be part of the Damage Control School Treasure Island, and was co-located with the Damage Control School's tear gas training building.[2]: 205 The area of Site I was demolished and barracks were built in its place.[5]: 83
Decontamination and radiation monitoring training continued at Site II until at least 1979, by which time training for fallout decontamination using of bromine-82 had ceased and all but one cesium source had been removed from the ship.[2]: 230 Use of the Pandemonium ended in 1992 when it was placed in permanent layup in anticipation of the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure of Naval Station Treasure Island.[2]: 115 In 1996, the USS Pandemonium was disassembled, removed from Treasure Island, and sold for scrap, leaving only the concrete foundation and holding tanks.[5]: 52, 77
Environmental impact
[edit]Site I and Site II are radiologically and chemically contaminated, and the US Navy has been criticized for its ongoing remediation and decontamination efforts on Treasure Island. Local reporters stated that the Navy contractor dumped the remains of the Pandemonium in an undisclosed landfill, then released the site without performing necessary radiation surveys.[7] The 2006 radiological assessment of Treasure Island determined that Site I and Site II were not radiologically impacted.[5]: 62 This was criticized as a "radiological lie" and inadequate,[7] prompting a second radiological assessment in 2014. The 2014 radiological assessment determined that both Site I and Site II are radiologically impacted based on suspected contamination resulting from unlicensed instrument radium-226 check sources and failure to comply with procedures regarding leak checking of licensed sources.[5]: 52, 62
In addition to the radioactive contamination, chemical contamination is present at both Sites. The soil around Site I (now used for low-income housing) was found to contain PAH and PCB contamination at 19,000 ppm, exceeding the legal maximum of 0.22 ppm.[8] Contaminants in the area of Site I, including lead, arsenic, and DDT, have been identified to still be present as recently as 2023.[9] The soil around Site II was completely removed in 2009 to a depth of 12 feet (4 m) to remove 790 tons of soil contaminated with PCBs, dioxins, heavy metals, pesticides, and petroleum products.[5]: 52 Although the soil removal was not directly related to the activities aboard the Pandemonium, it had the effect of destroying the concrete foundation of the ship, leaving only the bromine-water holding tanks.[5]: 24, 53
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Huntley, F. C., ed. (July 1957). "The Good Ship 'Pandemonium'" (PDF). All Hands. Bureau of Naval Personnel, United States Navy. pp. 16–17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Treasure Island Naval Station Historical Radiological Assessment" (PDF). Naval Facilities Engineering Command. February 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 Smith, Matt; Mieszkowski, Katharine (24 February 2014). "Treasure Island cleanup exposes Navy's mishandling of its nuclear past". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Archived from the original on 11 April 2026. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
- ↑ "December 1956 Naval Training Bulletin". Bureau of Naval Personnel. pp. 318, 327–330. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Final Historical Radiological Assessment – Supplemental Technical Memorandum Naval Station Treasure Island" (PDF). Nuclear Regulatory Commission. TriEco-Tt. 1 July 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Dillon, Lindsey (September 2017). "Pandemonium on the Bay". In Lynne Horiuchi; Tanu Sankalia (eds.). Urban Reinventions: San Francisco's Treasure Island. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 9780824866020.
- 1 2 Smith, Matt (17 August 2012). "Radiation history on Treasure Island more widespread than reported". Yubanet. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012.
- ↑ Harvey, Carol (April 9, 2014). "Treasure Island: Pandemonium at Halyburton Court". San Francisco Bay View. Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- ↑ "Revised Soil and Groundwater Management Plan Former Naval Station Treasure Island, San Francisco, California" (PDF). Terraphase Engineering Inc. 17 March 2023.