CHAPTER Ill, SECTION 5 since the IVY demobilization level was adequate for the opening phase of CASTLE. All procurement of subsistence supplies to be shipped overseas was covered by strict spec- ifications arranged between the Jobsite and the Home Office Procurement Department. All branches of the food industry were, after close inspection of their plants and service facilities had been made, canvassed for bids for the supply of Holmes & Narver requirements. A thirty-day lead time was established after receipt of requisitions to request bids, assure delivery by vendors, receive, inspect and make final shipment. This cycle was completed every thirty days. Better methods of packing were conceived to ship highly perishable vegetables and fruits without undue loss. Green-leaf vegetables were delivered at Jobsite in a fresh condition up to five weeks after the date of purchase. Strict inspection of fresh meats and adherenceto specifi- " cations resulted in shipment of quality products at minimum cost. It had been determined, through advance engineering estimates, that cement would be in heavy demand. Past experience proved successful in negotiating the purchase of lumber on a blanket purchase order, and it was decided to use this same type of purchase order to fulfill cement requirements. This decision eliminated a large amount of paper work and detail involved in unit purchasing. On 23 June 1953, a request was received from the Jobsite for 450,000 gallons of bitumuls, and delivery was required by 15 September. On 1 July, advice was received in the Home Office that a sizeable quantity of the bitumuls would be required in Honolulu not later than 21 July for transshipment in a Navy tanker. This presented a Stateside-to-Honolulu transportation problem since the Navy had no continental coastwise tankers available at the time, and commercial tankers are limited to their ability to carry this type of commodity because most ship bottoms are utilized for their own fuel supply or for fresh water. Through close co- operation between the Contractor and various oil and steamship companies, the problem was solved. Negotiations were concluded over the Fourth of July week end for space aboard the tanker Hawaiian Forrester, whose Captain agreed to take on additional fuel at Honolulu after the bitumuls were transferred to the Navy tanker. The balance of this bitumuls order was shipped directly from Wilmington, California aboard a Navy tanker on a direct sailing schedule to Eniwetok. The transocean movement of four 585-ton barges from California to Eniwetok was an interesting accomplishment. The barges were released by JTF SEVEN, Washington, D.C. from a remote section of the marine storage activity at Rio Vista, California, and were towed by the U. S. Army from the fresh water Mayberry Slough to the Army base in the San Francisco Bay, where the barges were specially outfitted for the long haul to the Marshall Islands. From the Bay Army base, Navy tugs USS Tawasa and USS Munsee each towed two barges to Pear! Harbor; at Pearl Harbor the Navy Tugs USS Mectobi and USS Hitchiti took over and towed the barges to Eniwetok Atoll. The entire water movement was accomplished without damage or delay. EXPORTING AND PACKING Packing of material and equipment for ex- port was a function of the Procurement Depart- ment’s Traffic Section. Where export packing was not provided by the vendor, it was accomplished either under a contract with Pacific Ports Industries, Oakland, California, or by the Holmes & Narver warehouse personnel in Los Angeles. The methods and procedures used in handling the exporting and packing coincided as nearly as possible with customary methods established by the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce - U.S. Department of Commerce. Scheduling of all shipments began with the receipt of requisitions. A requisition received in the Home Office was first directed to the Chief of Operations office to determine the most feasible means of transportation. The purchase order was then written as determined by the Material Control Section. In many cases during the program in which the purchase order called for water shipment, a change had to be made to air freight due to the urgency of the work invoived. Material scheduled for transshipment to the Proving Ground via water was delivered by the vendor to the Naval Supply Center(NSC) in Oakland where it was manifested and held for loading aboard cargo vessels. The Western Sea Frontier allocated space aboard the vessels ac- cording to the amount of Holmes & Narver material to be shipped. A Contractor representative was stationed at NSC to receive and schedule all water shipments. If the material was to be shipped by air freight, a priority permit was required. All materials received at NSC or Travis were checked for proper packing and marking for shipment to Jobsite. TRANSPORTATION AIR SHIPMENTS. During the period from 1 January 1953 to 30 April 1954, air freight shipments amounted to 603,205 lbs. The two peak months were November and December 1953, when air freight shipments reached 98,198 and 89,184 lbs. resepctively. The shipment of such large quantities of air freight was accomplised through close cooperation between Holmes & Narver representatives and Air Force Base personnel. However, temporary delays of air shipPage 3-21