Their activities once outside the lagoon are found in the TG 7.3 final report (Reference ll, p. 6-7): During the night ships operated independently in their assigned areas which were roughly 5 miles square, except for certain project ships which were carrying out their special functions in other areas. Shots were usually detonated about one-half hour before sunrise. As shot time approached, ships were maneuvered to new areas, if the predicted radiological situation required, which would put them into safe areas at or shortly before the detonation (Reference ll, p. 6-7). These “shot time positions" were at least 30 nmi (56 km) distant from the shot site (Reference ll, p. 6-6). ence 14, p. According to the TG 7.3 installment history (Refer- 127): Operational considerations required that the ships be positioned at a distance no greater than was required for safety, and demanded that some ships be stationed until after shot time on bearings involving a slight risk of being in the fallout area. To maintain voice communications and thereby tactical control, all operating areas had to be adjacent to one another. The prevailing winds and predicted blast and thermal effects were the major considerations in positioning of task group ships outside the anticipated fallout area at a safe distance from ground zero. Reentry hour was established after several postshot surveys were conducted. About 2% hours after the detonation, a helicopter from HMR-362 left the Bairoko for the Estes to pick up the CTG 7.1. This flight then performed the preliminary radiological survey and returned to the Bairoko. Other helicopter radiological surveys followed shortly. TG 7.4 cloud and fallout tracking missions provided additional information on the early radiological environment for the Radsafe Office on the Bairoko (Reference ll, p. 6-7). When the task force commander authorized reentry, the Estes moved first into the lagoon, followed by the Belle Grove and the Bairoko. 124 This order