—
cee eeecnenets oe TOR tt OU CORES ee FPTERM eR Te er
As stated before, Redwing planning provided such a capability; and
when the CTG 7.1 operated {rom the firing bunker on Enyu, as he did on
all Bikini shots execpt;
he stationed one of his deputies aboard the
USS Curtiss to ensure that operations could continue without interruption if
communications failed or if re-entry proved impractical.
"
*Communications by Motorola and AN/VRC-18 between ships and ketween
the Curtiss and the firing bunker were generally excelent when the ships
were at anchor, but deteriorated as the ships went to sea and became sepa-
rated,
Communications by the AN/IRC shipboard telephone cquipment were
generally unsatisfactory.
After
«the Romurikku complex was untenable for permanent
occupation. ““Pherefdre, operations ashore on that complex were supported
from four H&N LCU’'s, which hod been converted to heuseboats for this pur-
rose and assigned to Programs 13, 15 and 18
A YCV, used as a helicopter
barse, served both the houseboats and the shot barges off Yurochi.
An LCU
houseboat supported the shot barge. Movement to and from the houseboats
to burge or complex was by helicopter or by LCM. Each houseboat had an
assirned DUKW.
.
3.11.2
Eniwetok Recovery and Re-entry
Re-entry and data recovery problems at Eniwetok Atoll were simplificd
by having a permanent base of operations on Parry. Support craft and personnel necessary for each recovery operation were alerted and briefed prior
tu shot day. Following a radiological and damage survey concucted by CTG
7.1] and the Rad-Szfe Officer, a recovery timetable was established. Factors
such as station location, nature of inission, and the urgency of obtaining the
data determined the departure times of the missions.
Due to a Jack of helicopters for the first event’ ~ ° “the recovery
was primarily by mar‘ue operation, Four DUKW’s were movéd to Runit by
two LCU’s,
The LCU's served as a base of overations from which the
DUKW's were dispatched to stations Jocated on the island and on the reef
north of Runit. Limited Rad-Safe supplies were also available aboard the
LCU’s. This method of recovery was fcund to be successful within the
limitations of the speed of the craft. The espability of shuttling samples
and personnel from LCU to Parry by LCM and by helicopter was maintained,
The helicopter shuttle was used to expedite sample return to mect Flyaways
returning to the U.S. Although this capability was not used onf” ,
it
proved very successful on subsequent shots,
Recovery on’.
,
jand later shots was primarily by helisopter, However, recovery of reel stations was always done by a DUKW
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