Meanwhile, construction of test facilities progressed substantially as planned.
b.
By 1 February 1954 all task force elements had arrived in the forward
area and preparations were begun for the conduct of the first full scale rehearsal.
Extensive preliminary communications checks were made and on 23 February the
rehearsal for the first shot was successfully carried out.
seale rehearsal conducted.
This was the only full
Since all shots were statically detonated and opera-
tions were similar, each detonation served as a rehearsal for the one to follow.
Ce aay’. detonated at 0645 local time on 1 March 1954.
Prior to
this shot all personnel were evacuated from Bikini Atoll, except for a small
firing party which remained in a bunker on Enyu Island, approximately twenty miles
from zero point.
At the time of the detonation all task force ships in the Bikini
area were located southeast of the atoll at least thirty miles from zero point.
After the shot it became necessary to close the camps on Bikini Atoll because of
the radiological contamination and blast damage.
Subsequent operations at Bikini
were conducted principally from afloat.
a.
Because of unfavorable weather conditions at Bikini, it was not until
27 March thatEPs detonated.
The concept of the shot schedule was reviewed
and revised to indorporate more flexibility. ?:: rescheduled to be fired
at Eniwetok Atoll. On 7 April,
MMMM was detonated at Bikini, on Eninman
Island.
yam
“On 1s May, the Eniwetok weather became favorable anti;
detonated.
Except for rollup and redeployment, the on-site phase was essentially
completed with the last shot.
e.
As tasks were completed, units of the task force were redeployed and
individuals were returned to parent organisations or were reassigned.
In accord-
ance with previously prepared plans, reduced planning staffs and certain troop
elements were reformed as components of the task force in order to provide for
a
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