security DDE's and the available LST's to transport personnel to and from Bikini. All the immediate, post-shot operations tor| SH0T/\were suc= cessfully initiated and conditions appeared normal until about 0707 local when the firing party reported sky shine and rapidly rising radiation readings outside the control building and subsequently within the building after it had been closed up. At about 0800 local, considerable radioactive contamination was reperted on ship decks and CTG 7.3 directed all ships to proceed south at best speed; to a fifty mile range; to activate wash-down systems; and to use maximum damage control measures. The BAIROKO (CVE) and the PHILIP (DDE) received the heaviest contamination. Intensities on the deck of the BAIROKO reached 5,000 mr/hr with a maximum reading of 25,000 mr/hr in flight deck drains; and on the PHILIP average readings of 7,000 mr/hr were taken while the highest reading reached 20,000 mr/hr. Decontamination procedures were effective on all ships and the readings soon were down well below the danger point. At 1100 © local, air sampling units indicated that local ?allowt had ended and all ships were ordered to move in to a range of ten miles from Bikini. Ordinarily, scientific recovery operations would have begun almost immediately after the radsafe survey had been ccmpieted and after lagoon waters had been determined safe; but in this instance, contamination was too heavy to allow ordinary operations and a new plan was devised, which included early recovery of the firing party 123