2.2.6 USS CURTISS (AV-4) The CURTISS was in its assigned operating area southeast of the Shot BRAVO GZ when it began to receive fallout at approximately 0830 hours, | March. Average topside intensities increased to 8 mR/hr at 0900 hours before they began to subside (Reference 10). It appears the CURTISS must have been at the extreme southern boundary of the "early-timme" Shot BRAVO fallout pattern since those ships to the north of the CURTISS, the BAIROKO, ESTES, and PHILIP, received fallout of much greater intensity and duration at approximately the same time. Average topside intensities on the CURTISS had decayed to 2 mR/hr by noon, but at 1300 hours, the ship encountered another "wave" of the Shot BRAVO fallout. At 1323 hours, Material Condition ABLE was set throughout the ship (Reference 8). The ship's washdown system was activated intermittently between 1330 and 1700 hours, and average topside intensities reached 55 mR/hr before they began to decline. At approximately 1800 hours, the CURTISS was directed to proceed to Enewetak in company with the AINSWORTH, arriving there at 0730 hours, 2 March. Further attempts to decontaminate the ship during the night of | March are not documented. Figure 2-15 depicts the reconstructed radiation environment on the CURTISS resulting from Shot BRAVO fallout. The steep decay rate between H+25 and H+33 (0800-1600 hours, 2 March) indicates that some effort was probably made to decontaminate the CURTISS while anchored at Enewetak--probably flushing the weather decks with high pressure water from fire hoses. After this time, reduced intensities are primarily the result of natural radioactive decay and weathering. Shot BRAVO appears to be the only detonation that resulted in significant fallout onboard the CURTISS during its participation in Operation CASTLE. It is quite possible the CURTISS received some contamination from the ROMEO cloud as it steamed between Enewetak and Bikini during the evening of 28 March and early morning of 29 March. There is much evidence that the secondary fallout from Shot ROMEOthat fell on the ships at Bikini at approximately 2400 hours, 28 March, also hit Enewetak 24-36 hours later. This potential source of contamination was not documented onboard the CURTISS and is not considered in reconstructing the topside radiation environment. 62