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Headquarters Air Weather Service by directive on 27 November 1957
designated the 6th Weather Squadron (Mobile) as the task organization to
support THak Croup 7.4 by providing ground weather suppart, and charged
the 4th Weather Group, through the facilities of the 6th Weather Squadron,
among other tasks, to establish and operete weather observing stations at
Tarawa, Nauru, and Kapingamareangi.
These stations were to be fully opera-
tional by first shot minus 30 days and were to provide eight surface and
up to five rawinsonde observations daily,
The directive also called for
the establishment and operation of similar stations at Kusate and Utirik,
these stations to be fully operational by first shot minus 30 days, Fro~
viding eight surface and up to eight rewinsonde observations daily.
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Furthernore, weather observing stations at Wotho, Ujelang, and Rongelap
were to be established and operational
by first shot minus 15 days, pro-
viding four surface and two plbal observations daily.
As early as October 1957 new construction or rehabilitation of
existing facilities had commenced at some of the statis.
At Utirik,
for example, new construction was completed duming the period 14 October
1957 to 6 November 19573 at Rongelap, from 276 December 1957 to 18 January
19583; and at Nauru, from 3 March 1958 to 4 April 1958.
Rehabilitation
generally required less time: at Ujelang, from 10 to 27 November; at Kapingamerangi, from 3C Nove-ber to 10 Cecember; at Wotho, from 30 Hovember
to 16 Decerbers at Kusaie, from 10 to 23 December; and at Tarawa, from
pe!