With Shot ROM
scheduled for 13 March, six forecasters (Slater,
Masterson, Stopinski, Winchester, Wise, Stempson) boarded the USS Estes
10Ifrch, via C-47 from Eniwetok to Bikini and open Motor Launch from
Bikini to the ship.
That night radioteletype circuit J-401, between
Bafwetnk ond the command ship, was out for 15 hours.
Reception of the
Guam Blind weathcr broadcast aboard the ship was also out nine hours
during the same period.
Responsibility for the 1600 M, 11 March basic
weather forecastwas therefore passed back to the Eniwetok Weather
Central,
Col Francis Bowen, J-5 (Communications) JTF SEVEN and lst Lt
Leroy Young, Communications Element, TSUP, attributed thiee outages
primarily to poor radio propagation,
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On the evening of 11 March a conference attended by Dr. Alvi ~
Graves, Scientific Director, JTF SEVEN; Dr. William Ogle, Commander, TG
7.1; Col Bowen, Lt Col Bonnot and Lt Col Slater was held aboard the
Command Ship.
Lt Col Slater presented the problem of preparing weatner
forecasts with unsatisfactory communications,
He proposed that four
of the forecasters return to Eniwetok to prepare the forecasts where
data was available,
The forecasts could then be passed to the USS Estes
via radiotelctype circuit J-401, voice curcuits J-407 and J-408 or radio
WW,
Two forecasters would remain aboard to maintain continuity on the
weather charts, interpret forecasts received from Eniwetok, prepare
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bricfing aids for Lt Col Bonnot and to prepare neccessary weather forecast in the event that communications between the ship and Sniwotok went
out completely,
Col Bowen stated that the radio propzgaticn forecast
called for fair conditions on 13 March and poor on 14, 15, 16 arch,
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