built to link them.
This causeway was constructed from onsite materials
and shored on either side by bulkheads.
Before the CASTLE series got
underway, Eneman, Lele, and Bikdrin islands had also been linked with the
airstrip islands to form a complex 3 miles
wheeled vehicles.
(4.8 km)
long,
traversable by
Additional causeways were constructed in 1953 that
joined Iroij, Odrik, Lomilik, and Aomen islands in the northeastern arc of
the Bikini islands.
A causeway westward over the reefs from Nam in the
northwest portion of Bikini was also built during 1953, terminating at an
artificial island that became the detonation point for BRAVO, the first
test of the CASTLE series.
Camps were also built on Nam, Lomilik, and Eneu to house construction
workers building the
island complexes.
test-related structures on or
islands and
According to the directives of the AEC, all construc-
tion was to be of an expendable nature.
(POL)
near these
A petroleum, oil, and lubricants
storage area was also built on Lele to serve the main camp on Bi~
kini at Eneman.
Figure 9 shows the Eneman base camp viewed from the la-
goon looking south-southwest.
for the KOON device.
line shaved down
The large building in the center is the cab
The island to the right is Enidrik and has a blast
its center
for
the KOON test.
Radiological Conditions in 1954
The CASTLE planning literature refers to a detailed and comprehensive
survey of the radiological condition of the islands at Enewetak in 1954
just before CASTLE.
No record, however, has been found of this.
There-
fore, in order to assess the possibility of task force personnel exposure
to ionizing radiation while preparing for CASTLE,
it is possible only to
discuss the test activities that had taken place at Enewetak and introduce
any anecdotal or partial information that is available.
Enewetak had been used for nuclear tests in 1948, 1951, and 1952.
SANDSTONE (1948)
The
detonations on Enjebi, Aomon, and Runit left portions of
these islands contaminated.
In February 1949, a survey party from the
Hanford, Oak Ridge, and Los Alamos laboratories of the AEC found "a very
47