Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/Assessment/British nuclear tests at Maralinga

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Article promoted by Parsecboy (talk) via MilHistBot (talk) 21:21, 25 February 2020 (UTC) « Return to A-Class review list[reply]

British nuclear tests at Maralinga

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Nominator(s): Hawkeye7 (talk)

Featured article candidates/British nuclear tests at Maralinga/archive1

When Nuclear weapons and the United Kingdom was promoted as a Good Topic, Reywas92 noted that this article, although graded as a Good Article, was below standard, and encouraged me to clean it up. I have now done so, adding some text and I dug up some maps and photographs. Since it is already a Good Article, I am bringing it here for review. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 21:43, 30 November 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Support Comments:

G'day, Hawkeye, I caught a few typos and have the following suggestions: AustralianRupert (talk) 09:42, 1 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]

per WP:LEAD, the should probably only be four paragraphs
Y Merged first two paragraphs. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 02:04, 3 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]
who did even supply him with a vehicle for his own use for three years -- is there something missing from this?
Y "not" Hawkeye7 (discuss) 02:04, 3 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]
The desert was inhabited by wanampi --> "According to local custom" (or something similar)?
Are you implying that the locals attributed acts of God to wanampi? Hawkeye7 (discuss) 02:04, 3 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]
G'day, my concern is the way it is worded currently seems to imply that it is a fact that such spirits inhabit the desert, when surely it is a religious belief held by the local inhabitants, which was then used to create a narrative as part of the IO campaign? AustralianRupert (talk) 08:42, 3 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I was only following the sources. The article is agnostic on whether wanampi exist, but they are the received wisdom of the elders, who back up their claim to know a thing or two with a proven ability to survive in the desert. Changed to: "The desert was said to be inhabited by wanampi". Hawkeye7 (discuss) 21:33, 4 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]
No worries, that change looks fine to me. Regards, AustralianRupert (talk) 09:31, 5 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]
the RAF and Royal Navy issued a Operational Requirement --> "an Operational Requirement"?
Y Added an en Hawkeye7 (discuss) 02:04, 3 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]
had a measurable effect it the UK --> "had a measurable effect in the UK"
Y "in the UK". The point here is that many Australians assume that the British tested in remote places to avoid fallout in the UK, but in fact the people there received more fallout from British tests than their Australian counterparts. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 02:04, 3 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]
study concluded that "Overall, the doses... --> probably could silently decap "Overall" here
Y Deleted it. Doesn't add anything here. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 02:04, 3 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]
caption "Cutting a temporary Access Road from Watson to Tietkens Well" --> "Cutting a temporary access road from Watson to Tietkens Well"?
Y De-capped. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 02:04, 3 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]
plutonium is overlinked in the Media coverage section
Y There seems to have been a lot of it left lying around in the article. Unlinked. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 02:04, 3 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]

All points addressed. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 02:04, 3 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]

CommentsSupport by CPA-5

ranging from 1 to 27 kilotonnes of TNT (4.2 to 113.0 TJ) Round the nought.
Y Rounded. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
I see a mix of metric and Imperial units as primary units I believe Imperial should be the primary units here.
Y MOS:UNITS: In all other articles, the primary units chosen will be SI units, non-SI units officially accepted for use with the SI, or such other units as are conventional in reliable-source discussions of the article topic This includes ktTNT and curies. Hunted down a couple of stray convert templates missing the flip parameter. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
from 1 to 27 kilotonnes of TNT (4.2 to 113.0 TJ) TJ for joule? I thought that the J symbol is the official symbol?
TJ stands for terajoules. It's linked. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
One Tree (12.9 kilotonnes of TNT (54 TJ)) and Breakaway (10.8 kilotonnes of TNT (45 TJ)) Can you first explain to the readers that those 7 bombs had names because when I read this I was so confused first.
Y These are the names of the tests, not the bombs. Changed the text to clarify this. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
completed in 2000 at a cost of $108 million Which dollar, American or Australian? And link it too.
Y Australian dollars. Linked. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Australian Government vs Australian government
Y De-capped. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
with a detonation on 15 October 1953 Remove 1953 because it is already mentioned "a year later".
Y Deleted. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
were confident that the desired 11 megalitres (2.5×106 imp gal) per annum No US gal and link megalitres?
Y Tricky. Converted to USgal. Gallons and litres are common units. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
This was estimated to cost £53,000 to construct British or Australian pound?
Y Australian pounds. Each was worth 16 s sterling. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
1 kilolitres per day (3,000 US gal/d) Cleaver-Brooks thermocompression No Imperial gal and why have Cleaver-Brooks both upper cases?
Y Cleaver-Brooks is the name of the US company that made them, hence both capitalised. In this case we are converting from US gallons. Did not see the need therefore to convert to imperial gallons (which nobody . But done. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
of cable weighed about 1 tonne (1 long ton) Link both tons.
MOS:UNITNAMES: Units unfamiliar to general readers should be presented as a name–symbol pair on first use, linking the unit name. But these are common units. MOS:OVERLINK: Common units of measurement, e.g. units relating to time, temperature, length, area, or volume. If both non-metric and metric equivalents are provided, as in 5 centimetres (2.0 in), usually neither unit needs to be linked, because almost all readers will understand at least one of the units. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Some instrument bunkers contained 3.0-metre (10 ft) steel cubes Round the nought here.
Y Rounded. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
special Maralinga allowance of 16 shillings per day Link shillings.
Y Linked. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
at a height of 150 metres (490 ft) at 15:27. The yield was 3 kt What's kt?
Y ktTNT. Added missing conversion template. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
US facilities in the near future remote. [85] Remove the unnecessary space.
Y Removed. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
and announced at the US-UK talks in Bermuda in March 1957 Link Bermuda.
Y MOS:OVERLINK says nopt to link modern-day countries, but arguably Bermuda is not a country, so linked. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
of natural and depleted uranium, 0.98 kg of plutonium of which 0.58 kg was dispersed No metric units?
Metric and imperial are the same here, as kg are used for fissile metals in the imperial system. In imperial we have ounces of beryllium, troy ounces of silver, grams of plutonium. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
contaminated with 20 kg of plutonium. Another 2 kg of plutonium Same as above.
Same as above. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
square kilometres vs km².
The latter is the correct abbreviation. I normally haven't used it, but it is in a direct quote here. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
would receive an effective dose of 5 mSv/a What's a mSv/a?
Y millisieverts per annum. Linked. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
servicemen suffering from two specific conditions, leukemia Is leukemia Australian English and not leukaemia?
Y Leukaemia is correct. Fixed. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Pp errors in the following refs, 16 and 160.
Y Corrected. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:46, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

That's anything from me. Cheers. CPA-5 (talk) 15:59, 7 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Looks good to me. Cheers. CPA-5 (talk) 14:07, 9 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Source review—pass

Location missing on Broinowski, Richard (2003)
Y Added. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 09:54, 15 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Most of the sources are quite strong, and the weaker sources are only used for non-controversial details here and there.
Ref 163, "Do atomic test victims deserve compensation? Archived 12 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine" should have original publication date + work
Y Added. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 09:54, 15 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Ref 176, ""Archived copy". Archived from the original on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2017." also needs more information.
Y Did not support the text, so removed text and reference. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 09:54, 15 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
No source checks done b uidhe 04:59, 15 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

CommentsSupport by PM

Phew, a serious article. I can't say I have a clue about the technical stuff, but have a few comments:

Lead

in the first sentence, I suggest using "were conducted" instead of "occurred" as they were planned and conducted, they didn't just occur
Y Done. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 18:44, 20 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
the lead mentions seven tests between 1956 and 1963, but the seven tests that are then explained only occurred in 1956 (4) and 1957 (3)? Am I missing something?
The minor trials, which were conducted until 1963. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 18:44, 20 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
suggest "Three tests were conducted: Tadje (0.93 kilotonnes of TNT (3.9 TJ)), Biak (5.67 kilotonnes of TNT (23.7 TJ)) and Taranaki (26.6 kilotonnes of TNT (111 TJ)). The first two tests were conducted from towers, while the last was suspended from balloons."
Y Changed as suggested. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 18:44, 20 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
suggest consistency in describing major tests and minor trials, rather than describing the Kittens as tests
Y Done. The two were used interchangeably at the time (as the article describes) but I think this is a good idea.

More to come. Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 11:53, 20 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

drop the comma after "two four-wheel drive trucks by"
Y Dropped. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
suggest "On 2 August 1954, the High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Australia lodged a formal request for a permanent proving ground for a series of nuclear tests expected to be conducted over the course of the next decade,..."
Y Changed. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
"a mallee, spinifex and quandong" missing a noun here I think?
Y Added. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
"to the forward area where were bombs were detonated" were→the?
Y Deleted. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
"The bunker work proceeded so well that the task force was able to assist with its pit excavation work." whose work was the pit excavation? Perhaps mention that here?
Y Added. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
"In June, he ordered the surveyors" he=the range commander? It isn't clear.
Y Clarified. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Range Commander→range commander
Y De-capped. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
"and additional leave of days per month" how many days?
Y Enumerated. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
generoud→generous
Y Corrected. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
"could see so issues" no?
Y Adjusted. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
perhaps italicise wanampi?
Why? Linked.. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
suggest "was a large and cumbersome, being 7.3 metres..."
Y Changed. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
weighed 3,000 metres?
Y Corrected. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
RAF in full then in parens at first mention in the body
Y Added. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
rather than Aldermaston, perhaps AWRE given you've bothered to provide the initialisation?
Best kept as it is. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
test (, and after
Y Deleted. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
suggest "between Brisbane in Queensland and Lismore in New South Wales"
Y Changed. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
link No. 49 Squadron RAF
Y Linked. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
"atomic bomb. it fell about" needs a capital I
Y Capitalised Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
"at a height of 150 metres" detonated?
Y Added Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
suggest "Darwin in the Northern Territory and Newcastle in New South Wales"
Y Added Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
full stop after "with another major test series in September and October"
Y Added Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
"until the Australians objected"?
Y Added Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
"Helping Pixie remain on the schedule" which test was done with Pixie? It isn't clear until you get to the table.
Y Clartified. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
cancelled the diring
Y Cancelled. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
the following day, but morning fig until 10:00? typo and is missing something
Y Corrected. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
lightening→lightning
Y Corrected Hawkeye7 (discuss) 10:51, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Down to Minor trials. More to come. Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 09:45, 21 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

was the "Defence Scientific Advisor" Australian or British?
Y Australian. It was Martin actually. Added. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:08, 22 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
"Polonium-2l0 is an alpha" also this has a typo, looks like 2I0 rather than 210?
Y Added a n. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:08, 22 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
"minor trails"
Y Corrected. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:08, 22 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
"see so issues"
Y Added a n. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:08, 22 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
where was the Kuli area?
Y At Maralinga. I tried making a map, but it isn't very good. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:08, 22 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
what does "TM100 and TM101" mean?
Y More test areas. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:08, 22 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
where was the Dobo area?
At Maralinga. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:08, 22 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
"The Rat tests 180 kilograms" seems to be missing a word or two?
Y Added. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:08, 22 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
"400 curies (15,000 GBq) of polonium-210, an alpha emitter with a half-life of 138 days" we have already been told it is an alpha emitter and the half life
Y Deleted. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:08, 22 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
"There were about assuring" They?
Y Changed. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:08, 22 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
where was the Wewak area?
At Maralinga. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:08, 22 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
"readied for experiments broken free"
Y Deleted an n. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:08, 22 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Down to Closure. More to come. Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 05:48, 22 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

"had led to the development of the Christmas Island site"?
Y Added. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:04, 23 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
suggest consistency between clean up and cleanup when used as an adjective
Y cleaned up. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:04, 23 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
A Technical Assessment Group (TAG) as TAG is used later
Y Added. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:04, 23 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
(five times that allowed for a member of the public) but Aboriginal people are members of the public, so perhaps reword this?
It's a direct quote. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:04, 23 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
performed byat the Adelaide Festival
Y Corrected. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:04, 23 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Oak→Oak Valley
Y Corrected. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:04, 23 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

That's me done. Great job on this. I knew Christobel Mattingley, and her husband taught me history. Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 07:52, 23 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Nikkimaria, would you mind taking a look at the image licensing please? Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 20:33, 23 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Image review

File:AusNucTestSites.svg should include a source for test location coordinates
I've added the one from the article. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 09:29, 24 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
File:Emu_to_Maralinga_Road_0117.svg similarly should include a source
No idea where this is from. I suppose we could ping @Summerdrought:. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 09:29, 24 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
File:Buffalo_R4_001.jpg: source link is dead, is there an alternate source to confirm licensing?
Cannot find one. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 09:29, 24 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Nikkimaria (talk) 00:42, 24 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Nikkimaria is this good to go? Thanks, Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 05:56, 7 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Just waiting on a source for File:Emu_to_Maralinga_Road_0117.svg. Nikkimaria (talk) 11:30, 7 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Well, we don't have it and it is impossible to get it. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 11:45, 7 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

So, will you delete it, or can it be shown that it is consistent with possible source maps? Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 09:30, 23 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

The map is derived from the one of the Oodnadatta Track in Stoffel, Frank. Great Desert Tracks Atlas and Guide. Eight Mile Plains, Queensland: Hema. ISBN 978-1-876413-63-7.. I've removed it from the article. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 19:24, 23 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.