POM em Te ae ne oh ee e wee ey 2 senttaeloe PART !, CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 1 OPERATIONALSITES 1.1 The Atomic Energy Commission’s Eniwetok Proving Ground (EPG) is comprised of the complex of islands in the Eniwetok and Bikini Atolls. During Operation HARDTACK, Phase I, Johnston Island was added to the complex of EPG to provide a firing site for two high altitude bursts (TEAK and ORANGE) which were originally scheduled for launching from Site How, Bikini Atoll. (See Fig. 1-5, Sphere of Operations). 1.2 Detailed geographical layouts and land areas of the Eniwetok and Bikini Atoll and Johnston Island are shown on Figs. 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-6, and 1-7. TG 7.5 provided construction and service activities to 33 islands in the Eniwetok Atoll and 20 islands in the Bikini Atoll. 1.3 On April 1958, prior to the first nuclear detonation of the HARDTACK series, AECofficially established a danger area around EPG (See Figure 1-5) to avoid possible damage to transient aircraft, fishing craft, and surface shipping vessels. The danger area encompassed the Eniwetok Proving Ground and ocean areas bounded by 18°30’N, 156°00’E; 18°30/N, 170°OW’E; 11°30’N, 170°00’E; 11°30’N,166°16’E; 10°15’N, 166°16’E; and 10°15’N, 156°00’E, extending North to 18°30’N, 156°00’E. This area was declared safe on 8 September 1958, whereas the operational phase of Operation HARD- TACK, Phase I, was terminated 15 September 58. 1.4 Three separate danger areas were established for the Johnston Island area: 1.4.1 In its Newsreel Operations Order, JTFSeven established a ‘Missile Danger Area” in which no aircraft would fly from H minus 3 minutes until H-hour. Arrangements were made for the JTF-Seven Missile Flight Safety Officer to take emergency flight termi- nation action to prevent impacting of an erratic missile outside of this area. The missile danger area was described by JTF-Seven as “that surface area enclosed by a circle of 200 nautical miles radius and centered at the launching pad, excluding that part of the circle beyond a line perpendicular to the launching azimuth (180° true) and 40 nautical miles to the rear of the launching pad. The launching padis located at 16°44'32"N, 169°30'53”"'W.” 1.4.2 Aircraft were excluded from the “Air Closure Area” which was defined as a circle 520 nautical miles in radius, centered on Johnston Island. Arrangements for this area were made by representatives of JTF - Seven in conference with members of the 6th Regional Office, Civil Aeronautics Administration, and with the concurrenceof the latter’s headquarters. It became effective upon notice of an impending “live” shot by JTF - Seven. This information was then disseminated by the 6th Regional Office, CAA, to each of the Air Route Traffic Control Centers feeding traffic into this area. It was the responsibility of each Center to ensure that all air traffic was outside this circle at the planned H-hour and that in-bound traffic would not be cleared into that area until the detonation had taken place or a definite postponement had been received. This air closure area applied at all altitudes from 5000 feet, the the minimum over-water clearance altitude, and up. 1.4.3 Effective 25 July 1958, a “Surface Danger Area” was established for the Johnston Island area by JTF - Seven Operation Order (Hydropac 601/58ABCD) which designated the danger area as “a circle with a 400-mile radius centered at Latitude 16°45'N, Longitude 169°31'W.” The danger area restriction was lifted‘ 25 August 1958. 1.5 JTF-Seven was responsible for all RadSafe and weather information; however, TG 7.5, in its support capacity, performed varying degrees of construction and provided camp support operations and/or maintenance to the various outlying stations listed below, as directed by JTF - Seven. Utirik Kusaie Kapingamarangi Nauru Tarawa Ponape - Operated by U.S. Weather Bureau Truk - Operated by U.S. Weather Bureau Page 9