RADIOLOGICAL CLEANUP OF ENEWELAK AILOLL 172 eat it ae Mobilization Plans for brush clearing, soil and debris cleanup, and crater containment were reviewed, and equipment requirements were adjusted based on recent operations experience. Requirements were cancelled for 49 items, some of which had already arrived on atoll and had to be shipped back to the United States, and 14 new items were added by the engineers. It appeared that manpower would have to be adjusted also. The construction engineers were due to be replaced by combat engineer cleanup forces on 15 November 1977. The construction engineers could be retained until their 179-day TDY limitation expired in December 1977, however, if the combat engineers’ arrival was delayed an equal time, that would have delayed the start of cleanup. It was decided to retain some individuals in the construction forces having critical skills and to change the mix of the replacement forces arriving IS November !977. In addition to the four combat platoons scheduled to begin soil and debris cleanup and the two platoons scheduled for Runit site construction and operations, one extra construction platoon would be deployed. Some of the combat platoons would be used to assist in completing construction, while the pes UU ei ye a LT t es _— _ ie hg . * a te fonce 18 others would begin cleanup operations. The engineers predicted that, if the We yah additional construction platoons were not provided, beneficial occupancy would be delayed until mid-February 1978.85 FIGURE 3-18. ARMED FORCES RADIO & TELEVISION STATION. Based on arrangements made at the logistics conference, COMNAVSURFPAC ships picked up cargo from the Military Ocean Terminal, Bay Area and delivered it to San Diego for later shipment by Navy amphibious ships to Enewetak Atoll. Two LARCs, which had been towed down the Sacramento River from Rough and Ready Depot, and several thousand measurement tons of other cargo were moved by the On 12 August 1977, representatives to the logistics-comptroller conference from the JTG and the 84th Engineer Battalion arrived early to brief BG Tate and the Field Command staff on the currentstatus of mobilization, critical problem areas, and conceptual! plans for cleanup operations. After these briefings, BG Tate and COL Treat attended a 2-day conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, on radiological cleanup criteria. They returned to Albuquerque in time to participate in most of the Logistics-Comptroller USS OGDEN on 18 August 1977.86 Two weeks later, two more LARCs and additional cargo were delivered to San Diego by the USS MOUNT VERNON (Figure 3-19). November 1977—the date scheduled for transition from the Mobilization ecentanbies Sonn Dhace of the Enowetak Proie A similar problem was developing in the construction of the south Runit site. The engineer predicted that, if the critical supplies were airlifted and if additional construction troops were provided, beneficial occupancy could be achieved by I-15 January 1978. DNA initiated action during the conference to airlift almost 50,000 poundsof critical material from Travis AFB, California. © = engineer battalion representative estimated that, due to shortages of material to complete life-support systems, the Lojwa Camp construction was 60 days behind schedule for the planned beneficial occupancy on 15 -— = mobilization and to support the beginning of cleanup operations. The + The August 1977 conference at Field Command was called to review mobilization progress to date, and to coordinate actions to complete H Oe conference on 17-18 August 1977.84 Dh 173 On Enewetak Island, the first fatality of the cleanup project occurred on 19 August 1977. Hull Technician Victor J. Priest, USN, was welding on the bowramp of a landing craft when preservative in the void area inside the ramp exploded, ripping a 6-foot hole in the ramp and killing htm. The accident was investigated by Commander, Amphibtous Group Eastern Pacific. Memorial services at the base chapel the following Sunday were attended by over 200 military and civilian personnel, including Iroij Johannes Peter and manyofthe dri-Enewetak.87.88 On 29 August 1977, the USS BOLSTER delivered a YC barge and two MMUS JTG Logistics Officer took advantage of the ocean transport by having the YC barge loaded with over 100 measurement tons of cargo from Kwajalein Missile Range.89