severe fallout or other emergency.

This capability provided standing room

only and would be used only to protect life and health from extraordinary
hazards.
3.9

PROPERTY EVACUATION

The J-4 Section made pre-shot surveys to ensure that all excess equipment and material had been evacuated from the shot island and those areas

subject to significant effects.

J-4 assisted H&N in lifting material to the

beaches and in relocating it when it was received on the base islands.

Vehicles, trailers, and other equipment which were no longer required
at Bikini after a particular shot were turned over to J-4 prior to the shot
for return shipment to Eniwetok.

The shot phase evacuation of scientific trailers involved the regular

users and in addition J-3, J-4, J-6, and H&N. In general, the procedure
was for J~3 to determine when the scientific users could afford to release’
the trailers, particularly those aboard houseboats, and also to determine tHe

facilities required during evacuation and re-entry, such as power for de-

humidifiers and air conditioners, and water for Photo Lab tanks. The actual
movement of the trailers were accomplished by H&N personnel under J-4
supervision.

3.10

OPERATIONS AFLOAT, RECOVERY, AND RE-ENTRY

Operations Afloat. Since the base camp at Enyu, Bikini Atoll, was not
contaminated by any shot, sustained operations afloat were not necessary.

Complete evacuation was made for the Sycamore and Poplar events.

For the Sycamore shot the USNS Ainsworth (TAP-181) and the USS
Boxer (CVS-21) were utilized. In general,-the majority of TG 7.1 personnel
were evacuated to the Ainsworth, with personnel essential to maintaining the
operational capability of the Task Group evacuating aboard the Boxer. All
Bikini-based helicopters were also evacuated to the Boxer so that recovery

missions could be initiated from afloat.

Evacuation to ship on —1 days was carried out on three occasions, because the shot was postponed twice after the Task Force had embarked.
Embarkation proceeded smoothly on all occasions, but a minor delay was

experienced during debarkation because of the time necessary to begin operation of the boat pool.
Task Group 7.1 communications aboard the Boxer, in addition to ship's

telephones, consisted of Command Net and Administrative Net radios, ciphony
telephone and AN/TRC telephone. Primary communications requirements
were contact between the Task Force Headquarters afloat and CTG 7.1 at
Station 70 on Enyu and CJTF 7 at Eniwetok. Communications were general-

ly satisfactory.

For the Poplar event the USS Monticello (LSD) was substituted for the
USS Boxer, since the Boxer had departed to participate in the Johnston Island

Operation. Basically the evacuation and operations afloat were the same as
for the Sycamore event. Helicopters were evacuated to the USS Monticello,

but since it was a daylight shot L-20 aircraft were flown and orbited in an

area approximately 20 miles south of Enyu for the detonation.
Eniwetok Recovery and Re-entry.

The operational phase of Hardtack

97

AFWL/HO

26

Select target paragraph3