The USS Reclaimer was a rescue and salvage ship. Their duties were to set and retrieve large metal salvage buoys before and after each detonation. The buoy was bright orange when set and totally burned and rusted upon retrieval. The crew who were allowed to view the detonation and had been issued with high density welding goggles to protect their eyes from the blinding flash of the device. They were also ordered to turn their backs to the blasts until it was announced that they could turn around and view the results of the test.

The first sensation experienced by the crew was that of the heat which seemed unbearable and continuously increased but then it started to subside along with the shock waves from the blast. At this time, the crew were then allowed to turn around and view the blast. The blast was described at what you see in the pictures of molten steel coming out of an oven or molten lava from a volcano, suspended in the air, churning and boiling. 

Pat Winston was stationed aboard Reclaimer before boarding the USS Kawishiwi AO-146. He says, "Reclaimer was a very small ship and a crew of around 65 men. After my 2 years on the reclaimer I was transferred back to Pearl from Subic(Westpac) and I felt I had been tranbferred to the Hilton Hawaiian Village. I had never seen such living and working quarters. Unfortunately most of my memories were from the reclaimer as I was only on the K for about 4-5 months and than a short term of duty(TDY) on USS Hitchiti-ATF-103 which had a shortage (I think I was it in the ship's office) for a period of 2-3 months at the most. I have only one memory and that was when the XO was playing tennis at the O Club on lunch break and the day I was off the ship and they towed a target for the movie Tora ,Tora ,Tora (submarine and opening type of scene).