arn
~��
=~
3
~—-—
overtaxed,
nsive emergency expansion of facilities was undertaken, much
time was lést in commuting from other sites, air transport was overloaded,
and morale was adv@rsel¥ affected,
Experience on many operations has
proven that it {gs unsound to depend on completing all construction and modifications in time to phase-out construction personnel before technical Iinstallation begins. It is strongly recommended that camps be built to take care
of estimated peak population of both types of personnel.
Transportation of the arming team, from the shot barges after arming,
and to the shot barges for disarming, continued to be unacceptably slow and
complex as it was on Castle. Each shot barge should have an elevated unobstructed helicopter platform with a suitable hatch or hatches to permit installation of devices and equipment. If this proves impractical, two small,
rugged, two-engined boats, capable of going alongside the shot barge, and
fast and seaworthy in rough weather, should be provided for this purpose.
The over-all support provided by MATS was generally excellent and
bo
a
f
Ny
contributed substantially to the success of the operation. Unfortunately, the
convenience, comfort, and peace of mind of the passengers are still neglected. Scheduled departure hours from both Hickam and Eniwetok were
{inconvenient to passengers, as was the two-hour check-in; and mechanical
and other troubles caused great variance between scheduled and actual flight
times. Information provided to waiting passengers and to those embarked
on planes which had to turn back because of mechanical difficulties was often
scarce or nonexistent.
Passenger convenience was often subordinate to that of the airline.
For example, during most of the operational period, a passenger flight was
scheduled to depart Eniwetok at 8:00 AM.
However, MATS wouldnot guar-
antee to wait until 8:00 AM if the aircraft was ready to leave earlier, and
thus passengers from Parry had to spend the night on Eniwetok ready to
leave at the pleasure of the airline, although it rarely happened that the
flight was ready to leave before the scheduled hour.
It is recommended that the Commander of MATS be asked to improve
passenger arrangements and relations in every way possible; and that CJTF 7
be represented when the PacDivMats passenger schedules for the support of
Eniwetok during build-up and operational phases are developed,
*3.19.2
J-1 Section, Personnel and Administration
-
During the planning phase of Redwing it was generally agreed that a
considerable effort should be made to preserve a high level of morale by
providing adequate recreational facilities, recreation trips, etc. Funding
problems delayed the design and construction of such items, however, until
- 134 -
oo:
/3/