On May 16, 1958, the conditions were met for the detonation of a nuclear device known as the Wahoo blast. Within a second of the explosion, a spray dome formed, reaching a height of 840 feet (260 m) within seven seconds. The spray dome had a conical shape with sides sloping at 45 degrees. After six seconds, plumes began breaking through the dome in all directions. The vertical plume rose until 12 seconds post-detonation, while the lateral plumes extended for 20 seconds before collapsing. At the 20-second mark, the spray dome's diameter was approximately 3,800 feet (1,200 m). The base surge, reaching a radius of 8,000 feet (2,400 m) downwind after 1.7 seconds, was propelled by a 15-knot (17 mph; 28 km/h) wind, reaching speeds of 21 knots (24 mph; 39 km/h). This surge remained visible for three and a half minutes, and even longer from the air as it spread across the ocean. Once the spray dome and base surge dissipated, a foam patch appeared, extending over 6,000 feet (1,800 m) from the detonation point. The explosion's yield was calculated to be 9 kilotons of TNT (38 TJ). Fallout stayed within the predicted area, with a maximum radiation level of 0.030 R/hr. The shockwave directly hit a target ship 5,900 yards (5.4 km) away, causing it to vibrate and shake violently. The Moran merchant marine ship, moored 2,346 feet (715 m) away, was immobilized due to shock damage to its main and auxiliary equipment and suffered minor hull damage. An hour and ten minutes after detonation, a five-gallon water sample taken directly above the blast location measured radiation at 5 R/hr. A retrieval team entered a 3.8 R/hr field an hour and thirty-five minutes post-detonation.

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