The experimental program for IVY focused primarily on the MIKE

experiment and secondarily on KING.

The effort, subdivided into 11 specific

programs, was heavily oriented to weapons development experiments and focused
to a lesser extent on effects experiments (10: 118).
4.8.3

Dose Summary for Operation IVY.
The generally smooth MIKE operations were marred by an accident when a

cloud-sampling pilot was lost at sea after his aircraft ran out of fuel.

A

seven-man rescue crew flew their aircraft over a fallout zone to reach the
area of the downed airplane as soon as possible.

In the process, the crew-

members received radiation doses ranging from 10 to 17.8 rem.

These levels

considerably exceeded the maximum permissible limit of 3.9 rem of gamma
radiation established for Operation IVY participants (10: 3).
A crew of 12 in a second aircraft was overexposed when caught in fallout
debris while on a photographic mission just after the MIKE shot.
dose for a member of this crew was 11.6 rem.

The highest

Other than these two events, no

cases exceeded the established limit during IVY (10: 3).
Summary of External Doses for Operation IVY as of 1 May 1986
Gamma Dose (rem)

0-0.5

0.5-1

1-3

3-5

5-10

10+

Army

1,300

1

1

0

0

0

Navy

5,191

23

42

2

0

0

Air Force

2,199

325

37

4

9

10

Marine Corps

169

1

8

0

0

0

Civilian DOD
Participants

28

0

3

0

0

0

97

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