CHAPTER 5 TESTS AFTER BRAVO Test operations following BRAVO were seriously affected by the physical damage and radiological contamination from that burst and by the many postponements and schedule changes due to unfavorable weather. The Com- mander, TU 13 of TG 7.1 cited a number of BRAVO's effects on subsequent operations (Reference 40, p. 16). Among the more important were the: (1) gradual loss of personnel as their total cumulative radiation exposure exceeded the maximum limit because of radiological contamination of Bikini Atoll land areas to which entry was mandatory for project purposes; (2) loss of equipment by Projects 2.2 and 2.5 from a secondary fire caused by BRAVO on the Eneman Island support facility; (3) conversion from land- based to ship-based operations at Bikini, with attendant difficulties of Personnel transport, communications, and equipment handling; (4) severe boating conditions at Bikini during delay periods because of unfavorable weather, which restricted maintenance of the experimental test stations; (5) deterioration of test stations caused by salt spray, humidity, rain, and intense sun during the repeated shot-day postponements because of unfavorable weather; and (6) changes of shot sequence, sites, and predicted yields. SCHEDULE CHANGES The pre-CASTLE schedule called for seven shots as listed in Table 27. This schedule reflected a concept designed to preserve the use of the Aerokojlol-Aerokoj airstrip and facilities on Eneman, and on those islands connected to it by causeways, until the last shot. about 2.5 miles (4 km) The airstrip was only from the burst point of this last shot, and an oil storage facility was even closer on Lele. come useless following the Eneman shot, 246 Since these would probably be- it was placed last.