In 1952 the United Kingdom became a nuclear power following the successful detonation of its first atomic bomb in the Monte Bello Islands, Australia. Operation Hurricane was the RoyalNavy led operation and the bomb was exploded inside the hull of HMS PLYM. HMS Plym (K271) was a River-class frigate that served in the Royal Navy between 1943 and 1952. The ship was destroyed in the United Kingdom's first nuclear weapon test, Operation Hurricane in 1952.