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 ed/DOE TANK, 2-0t¥. a. ee,