OPERATION .
1. The POPLAR device was detonated on a barge off Nam Island
(Charlie), Bikini Atoll, at 1530M, 12 July 1958. RadSafe operations
were ccnducted from the USS Benner, approximately ten miles south of
Nen Island. The cloud rose inmediately above the radar limits of 61,000
_ feet, and the cloud base was established at 42,000 feet at 1540M. The estimated yield =
2. The P2V aircraft (Wildroot #11) reported over How at 1650M, and
it was veetored between How and (Oboe. Only background was recorded, and
the P2V vas sent out on bearings of 260 degrees from Oboe for forty miles.
The high reading was obtained thirty mtles out: 100 mr/hr, at 1700M, At
1745M the island chain with the exception of the ground zero area vas
flown at 1,000 feet. Dog read 45 mr/hr. Communications difficulties
developed, and a second P2V was scrambled.
3.
Re-entry hour was declared at 1945”, and the second P2V was vec-
tored on a northerly and westerly bearing :ntil midnight.
4. Initial helicopter surveys took off at 0700M and O745M, 13 July,
No significant read'ngs were obtained.
. 50
A detailed survey was made at
Two problems affected the success of this operation.
Commnica-
tions difficulties later proved to have been with the Benner and not the
P2¥,
The second P2V¥ was then controlled through Eniwetok AOC.
Difficulty
with Benner radar made it impossible to obtain current wind data from
Bikini.
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