The preliminary results of the off-atoll surveys by NYKOPO are shown
in Table 51.
AIRCRAFT DECONTAMINATION.

After YANKEE, the B-36

(No.

1386)

control

aircraft, with an initial radiation reading of 0.100 R/hr, was again decontaminated without a cooling period but all other aircraft cooled for
about 24 hours before decontamination was started.
1086)

The other B-36

(No.

had the highest recorded contamination for the test series, measur-

ing 42 R/hr shortly after landing

(see Table 52).

Some aircraft again

were released with relatively high contamination levels
R/hr).

(0.230 to 0.800

Priorities were also changed to decontaminate five F-84Gs first.

NECTAR
NECTAR (1.69 MT), the final shot of Operation CASTLE, was fired at
0620 on 14 May from a barge anchored in the MIKE crater
Island)

at Enewetak Atoll.

(formerly Eluklab

NECTAR was ready for detonation on 22 April,

ahead of YANKEE, and detailed preshot preparations were made on 4, 5, and
ll May.

At each date, the shot was postponed because of unacceptable wind

patterns.
2

Preshot Preparation
At noon on 13 May the weather forecast indicated acceptable conditions
for firing the following day; consequently, the appropriate messages were
transmitted to the task force and external agencies indicating a decision
to fire.

Air search was initiated in Area Evelyn.*

shipping was within the danger area

(Table 53).

No known transient

No postshot sector search

was scheduled.

* Area Evelyn had been designated 1 May when it became apparent that daily
searches of the entire Area Green were difficult with the aircraft
available.
Evelyn was defined as a semicircular sector of 300 nmi (555
km) radius to the north of an east-west line through the center of Enewetak, plus an additional 60-nmi (1lll-km) wide strip south of the
semicircle.

310

Select target paragraph3