An assessment of the then unknown effects of atomic weaponry upon a naval fleet was a high postwar priority, resulting in the formation of a Joint Task Force to plan and execute atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in the summer of 1946. Known as Operation Crossroads, these tests were to be conducted on a large array of unmanned target ships to determine the effects of atomic explosions on a variety of vessel types.
Determining the consequences of atomic weapons on naval fleets was a critical postwar task, which prompted the creation of a Joint Task Force to conduct atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in 1946. This operation, called Operation Crossroads, aimed to test the effects of atomic explosions on different ship types by using unmanned target vessels.