Personnel for manning TU-6 were obtained s.om the Army, Navy, and
Air Force. LASL Health Division personnel were utilized a» advisors to
CTU-6. The majority were obtained from the U.S. ArmyFirst Radiological
Safety Support Unit, a Chemical Corps unit stationed at Ft. McClellan, Ala,
The following is a breakdown of personne! attached to TU-6:
1. Army
- 95 officers and enlisted men.
2. Navy
- 8 officers and enlisted men.
3. Air Force - 12 officers and enlisted men.
4.
LASL
- 4 civilian health physicists as advisors.
5.
UCRL
- $3 civilian health physicists as advisors.
Scientific project personnel in TG 7.1 and contractor personnel in
TG 7.5 were requested to provide their own monitors for recovery and
construction missions. A 4-day school was operated at EPG specifically to
train such monitors. The schooling was found to be a very satisfactory arrangement.
In support of TG 7.1 and 7.5 at both Bikini and Eniwetok, check points
were established as required. Main check points utilized at all times at
both atolls were located at the air dispatcher's office and the marine landing.
All personnel entering or returning from a radex area were processed
through the check points. An area was considered "full radex" if the gamma
radiation field exceeded 100 mr/hr.
Full protective clothing was required
for entry into a full radex area. Limited radex areas were established
when the gamma radi{ation field exceeded 10 mr/hr but was less than 100
mr/hr. Clothing requirements varied with the situation in the limited radex
areas. An area in which the gamma radiation field was less than 10 mr/hr
was considered non-radex.
The following is a summary of rad-safe processing:
1. A total of about 6200 persons were processed through the Eniwetok
check points from May 1, 1958, to August 20, 1958; 2700 persons were processed at Bikini from May 13, 1958, to August 5, 1958.
2.
The personnel decontamination station at Eniwetok handled a totat
of 860 individuals, and the facility at Bikini processed about 1200.
3.
The following equipment was decontaminated:
Vehicles
Pieces of equipment
Aircraft (including helicopters)
Heavy equipment
Eniwetok
Bikini
56
611
9
100
28
193
4
70
The majority of the rad-safe surveys of both atolls were conducted by
helicopter. Normal operations included a pre-entry survey with CTG 7.1 at
H + 1 to 4 hr, followed by detailed surveys at H + 6 to 8 hr, and mornings
of D + 1, 2, and 3 days. Additional surveys were made as required. Instruments used in the surveys were AN/PDR-39's converted to read to 500 r/hr.
Ground surveys of islands in the atolls were conducted when required.
Fallout from the Fir device was evident at both atolls. Peak activity
at Eniwetok was 20 to 25 mr/hr, at Bikini 12 mr/hr. Minor activity was
observed following other shots in the series but total dose received was insignificant. It is estimated that the average personnel dose due to fallout
in the living areas at Eniwetok was 1200 to 1500 mr, that at Bikini 300 mr.
127
erwin
hee
JAG jun