c U. S. S. BAIROKO (CVE-115) Fleet Post Office Francisco, California EOB: TELM :rd CVELL5/M3~4, Ser: 0010 11 MAR 1954 From: To: Commanding Officer Commander Task Group 7.3 Subj: Radioactive contamination; sumary of for period 1-8 March 1954 Ref: fa Appendix IV to Annex @, cTG 7.3 OpPlan 1-53 — b) CO, USS BAIROKO (CVE-115) sec ltr M3-4 ser 008 of 7 Mar 1954 Encl: (1) Tatulation of average intensities topside (2) Copy of reference (b) 1. In accordance with reference (a) the following’report of radioactive contam ination is submitted for the period 3-8 March 195k. ference (b) contained.a report of contamination and decontamination efforts on 1 and 2 March 1954, 2, “At 0830 on 3 March 1954 this ship entered BIKINI ATOLL and anchored in berth N-5, Helicopter operations were conducted throughout the day. The canvas bath tub for decontamination of aircraft was rigged on the flight. deck, aft of num two elevator and all returningaircraft that had landed’on the atoll, were ed in the tub’for monitoring and washdown with fresh water, Passengers were debarked in the tub, monitored; and processed through the forward personnel decontamination station, it necessary. No further efforts were made to decontaminate the flight deck, however, several details were busy all day cleaning out flight: deck drains where high radiation reading were noted, The average intensity in these drains © was between 80 and 100 milli roentgen per hour (gamma only) with one reading as_ high as 500 milli roentgen per hour (ganma only). Stoppages in these drains were caused, for the most part, by excess accumulation of wood splinters, rust flakes and. paint chips jamming at the junction of two or more drain lines while fire. hoses were being used to wash down the flight deck, 3. Decontamination work 6n the port and starbeari gun sponsons was started after anchoring on 3 March 1954. The methods employed included hosing dowwith high pressure fire hoses, hosing and scrubbing with salt water and_wiping dow with fresh water, Number one motor whaleboat was décontaminated with a soap and water scrub down followed by a fresh water wipe down, The 40 MM gun and gun director canvas covers registered high radiation in spots where water from previous wash downs had collected in pools. -By hosing and scrubbing with soapy water, the intensity ofall canvas covers was reduced below 20 milli roentgen per hour (gamma only). The covers were then stowed in a void on the fantail to allow the intensity to reduce by natural decay. The average deck intensity on the star board sponsons was reduced to 9 milli roentgen per hour (ganma only) by the end of the day. The only points of high radiation being two cocoa mat fenders which 1 _ATetien ENCL (4) FZ 37AY9GSO ,