Business Name The china laker VOL 21. NO 2 8 May 2015 Who was: William “Deak” Parsons? Special points of interest: As you enter the main Parsons (1901-1953) was the gunnery job, he wanted to entrance to the Naval Air leader of the Manhattan understand everything about Who was: William “Deak” Station China Lake, go Project Ordnance Division naval gunnery. He became an Parsons? halfway around the traffic responsible for the production expert in all factors that CLMF 15th Annual Dinner and circle and continue on East of an atomic bomb into a influenced naval gunfire. After Auction Inyokern Road. You pass deliverable weapon. Parsons his tour on the Idaho, Blaze Baseball Game McLean Laboratory on the left was born in November 1901 in Deak attended the Naval and then you come to the Illinois. He was a bright kid, Postgraduate School at Training Center. The north- who completed 12 years of Annapolis in 1927 with an south cross-road there is schooling in eight years. He emphasis on ordnance. Then Parsons Road. Parsons Road was admitted to the Naval he was assigned to the Navy’s continues south through the Academy at age 16, two years proving ground for naval guns now-cleared Old Duplex younger than most at Dahlgren, VA. Here Lt. housing area, then, as the cadets. His Parsons met Dr. L.T.E road turns to the east classmates gave him “Tommy” Thompson, a it suddenly becomes the nickname ballistician, chief scientist at Groves Street, which “Deak”, for deacon Dahlgren. Thompson was later ends at North Richmond (playing on his last to become the first Technical Road. name). He graduated Director at NOTS, Inyokern. Parsons? Groves? from Annapolis in Thompson immediately Who were they? Most the class of 1922. recognized Parsons’ uncanny people might recall that Army Parsons’ first sea scientific abilities. Parsons and LtGen. Leslie R. Groves, Jr. assignment was on the Thompson developed a was the leader of the Battleship USS Idaho. Deak lifetime friendship and Inside this issue: Manhattan Project, the Atomic was in charge of the Idaho’s collaborated closely through- Bomb program. Some might main battery of 14-inch guns. out their careers. know that USN RADM. Deak stood out because he was Parsons’ subsequent sea Who Was: William 1 William Sterling “Deak” not just interested in his tour increased his awareness of “Deak” Parsons? (continued on page 2) President’s Message 1 President’s Message Board of Directors 3 Progress on our plan for the Museum for 5 years. We now the final China Lake Museum future is solidifying. We were are looking at this move as an which we will simultaneously CLMF 15th Annual 3 not able to raise sufficient funds interim step to establish our work toward building on the Dinner and Auction to buy the Marriott Office presence in Ridgecrest, to Kern Park land adjacent to Building but have worked determine our business cash Maturango Museum, with Spotlight: Business 3 together with Jim Suver, CEO of flow with our Gift Shop and several phases of growth. Upon Members the Hospital, who had the up- some key displays, with paid close of escrow, we will notify front money we did not have, admission. We are completing a members of our Founders and needs the whole building for business plan which shows we Campaign to enable them to the long term. He is working will be able to pay our daily express their wishes now that with us to finish and then lease operations bills and save plans have changed again. We to us the downstairs for our donations for a simple core of would appreciate your support (continued on page 4) PAGE 2 THE CHINA LAKER VOL 21. NO 2 Who was: William “Deak” Parsons? (continued from page 1) defending ships from aircraft, which were artillery shells with timed fuzes were only Man” implosion-type bomb expanded to becoming credible weapons of warfare. effective one-tenth of one percent of the NOTS Inyokern. NOTS’ entry into the Deak felt that not much more improvement time. In other words only one in one atomic bomb project stemmed from the in gunfire accuracy was possible without thousand shells would bring down an difficulty in finding a reliable high some revolutionary new technology. In his aircraft. Shells that worked 10 percent of explosive detonator for the Fat Man to be spare time Parsons read Reviews of the time would be an enormous used to initiate an atomic reaction in a Modern Physics, a publication Dr. improvement. In time, the fuzes tested nuclear core. Through the efforts of Dr. C. Thompson recommended. In 1933 he was with a 62% success rate. Parsons took C. Lauritsen and his CalTech staff working assigned to the Naval Research Laboratory some of the new weapons aboard the USS on the Navy’s rocket program at NOTS (NRL) as liaison officer between NRL and Helena, where they achieved the first Inyokern appropriate detonators were the Navy’s Bureau of Ordnance (BuOrd). confirmed kill of a Japanese dive-bomber designed. Lauritsen’s close association In his first week, as he was familiarizing using the new fuze. By April of 1943 tens with NOTS paid off as equipment, himself with NRL’s work, he was on the of thousands of the proximity fuzes were facilities, and security were available at trail of a technological solution to his two being produced and shipped to the Pacific Inyokern for the development and testing most important problems: how to improve Fleet. By the last year of the war, 87 of these detonators. Another problem with naval gunfire and how to defend the companies were producing ninety different the detonators was how to manufacture battleship against an airplane. types of proximity fuzes and the nation’s them. The explosive was cast to a uniform Parsons and Radar. NRL was working first mass-produced smart weapon had density and then the cast blocks had to be on using high-frequency radio waves to proved itself in battle and changed the carefully machined into the required detect an aircraft. Parsons immediately history of warfare. shapes. Machining of explosives was grasped that a radio echo device that could Parsons and the Atomic Bomb. In May virtually a new technique and the detect aircraft beyond the limitation of 1943 BGEN Groves expressed his doubts machinists had to teach themselves how to human sight could protect ships and to Dr. Vannevar Bush that the scientists do it. Parsons suggested that such a harbors from surprise attacks. Deak pushed working on the project could turn the processing plant could be built at NOTS a reluctant BuOrd to pursue this theoretical work into a deliverable weapon. Inyokern. Groves and Parsons went to technology; however, he was unable to He needed a military officer well versed in CalTech and met with Lauritsen and Dr. overcome the resistance to the idea by the theoretical and practical ordnance. He Bruce Sage who operated the Propulsion time he was assigned as an ordnance wanted someone who would set up Pilot Plant at NOTS. NOTS was tasked instructor at the Naval Postgraduate ballistic tests of experimental bombs and with building a pilot plant and later School. But he had succeeded in making plan for the combat use of the weapon. Dr. operating the pilot plant for producing the NRL scientists more aware of the Bush suggested Parsons, who had recently nonnuclear explosive components of tremendous potential of the radio wave briefed him on his work with the proximity atomic bombs. discoveries. Deak regretted the U.S. fuze. Parsons visited NOTS Navy’s failure to recognize radar’s unique Thus Parsons joined Parsons did accompany the after the successful atomic opportunity. But he kept at it and he helped the Manhattan Project Enola Gay as a weaponeer, test at Alamogordo, NM, open the way for eventual BuOrd support just as his promotion to crawling into the bomb bay while on his way to Tinian for radar, now an indispensible part of Captain came through. while in flight to Hiroshima Island to prepare to deliver naval warfare. Parsons, in discussing to personally arm the the first Little Boy bomb Parsons and the Proximity Fuze. the project with LtGen weapon. Parsons received that destroyed Hiroshima. Parsons’ reputation as a naval officer, who Groves, stated the the Distinguished Service Parsons did accompany understood the importance of the objective was a perfectly the Enola Gay as Medal for his role in the application of science to warfare, went on delivered, perfectly weaponeer, crawling into to play key roles in two of the most functioning atomic bomb atomic bomb project. the bomb bay while in remarkable weapons of World War II, the that could end the war. flight to Hiroshima to proximity fuze and the atomic bomb. He also stated that if he, as chief engineer, personally arm the weapon. Parsons Parsons had been aware of early work on a also served as weaponeer on the first received the Distinguished Service Medal proximity fuze that would detonate a combat mission, he would take a deep for his role in the atomic bomb project. He projectile if it came close enough to detect personal interest in getting every detail was subsequently promoted to the presence of an aircraft. Testing with exactly right. Groves agreed, and Parsons Commodore (one-star Admiral) and went early designs of the developmental was weaponeer on the Enola Gay as it on to help organize the postwar operations proximity-fuzed projectiles showed that delivered the first bomb on Hiroshima. at Los Alamos, helped with further atomic they worked about 10 percent of the time.