APPENDIX "Qh
METEOROLOGY
1. GENERAL
a.
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In accordance with plan, the weather central on ENIWATOK ISLAND had
completed the transition from a class CR Air Weather Service Station to a com~
pletely operational weather central by 1 February 1951.
Both Air Force and Navy
personnel were assigned to this central.
b,
Establishment of the outlying stations at MAJURO, BIKATI, NAURU, and
KUSATE was delayed ten days beyond the original target date because certain import~
ant technical equipment components failed to arrive at PEANL HARBOR on schedule,
LST 859 finally departed PEARL HARBOR on 20 January 1951 with all critical items
and personnel aboard.
1951.
ALL outlying stations were fully operational on 22 February
No difficulty was experienced throughout Operation GREENHOUSE at any of the
stations, beyond the usual and expected minor equipment and personnel failures, all
of which were remedied in a very short time.
c.
Information obtained by the four stations, plus KYAJALEIN and EWIWETOK,
was of a type never before available on such a large scale in the tropics.
Recent
developments in the electronics field had produced automatic tracking equipment
capable of bracking balloons with attached radio transmitters to high levels with
excellent reliability.
d,
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The performance of the Task Unit 34.4 (57th Strategic Reconnaissance
Squadron - Weather) was outstanding in all respects.
The flexibility of the squad-
ren in mecting overschenping. roquircnonts wos notable, , and -pormicttod forceasting
quality beyond rcasonable expectations.
Information on the position and intensity
of both typhoons GEORGIA and JOAN was furnished by the task unit at times when
such information was vital to the success of Operation GREENHOUSE,
e. The anti-submarine patrol squadron (VP 931) also made a valuable contribution te the success of the weather program,
Employing a concise reporting
code devised for Operation GREENHOUSE, their offort permitted a closely detailed
description of the weathor within a radius of 150 miles of ENIWETOK, an important
consideration in the tropics, where weather is extremely random in nature,
and
where accurate forecasting is impossible without a mass of detailed
information.
fi,
In all, 526 personnel were concerned full time with the obtaining
and analysis of weather information, and in direet support of
this,
These in-
cluded the Task Force Staff Weather Officer and his deputy, 402 personne
l assigned
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