Daigo Fukuryū Maru

Daigo Fukuryū Maru (第五福龍丸, F/V Lucky Dragon 5) was a Japanese tuna fishing boat with a crew of 23 men which was contaminated by nuclear fallout from the United States Castle Bravo thermonuclear weapon test at Bikini Atoll on March 1, 1954.

Daigo Fukuryū Maru on display in Tokyo
History
Japan
Name
  • Daigo Fukuryu Maru
  • ("Lucky Dragon No.5")
Launched1947
StatusMuseum ship since 1976
General characteristics
TypeFishing boat
Displacement140.86 t (139 long tons)
Length28.56 m (93.7 ft)
Beam5.9 m (19 ft)
Propulsion250 hp (186 kW) engine
Speed5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph)
Crew23

The crew suffered acute radiation syndrome (ARS) for a number of weeks after the Bravo test in March. All recovered from the immediate effects of the American test detonation except for Kuboyama Aikichi, the boat's chief radioman, who died on September 23, 1954, from complications of radiation sickness. Kuboyama is considered the first victim of the hydrogen bomb and of test shot Castle Bravo.

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