> Sailors and scientists needed to know the range and lethality of underwater nuclear explosions. Would they harm the crews, ships and planes delivering the weapons?

This reminded me of the Mark 45 nuclear torpedo exhibit at the USS Bowfin mueseum at Pearl Harbor. The targeting procedure was for the torpedo to be "aimed in the general direction and to the far side of the target, in order to place as much distance as possible between the submarine and the nuclear explosion." Yikes. See http://svsm.org/gallery/mk45/IMGP6756