series ended with six events, Chart: Operation CASTLE Schedule at Bikini Atoll Shot Date BRAVO 1 March 195) ROMEO : 27 March 195) KOON OO UNION YANKEE NECTAR ~~ 7 April 195h Type Surface Barge Surface 2h April 195% Barge § May 195k Barge ls May 1954 Barge During the first shot of CASTLE, operations personnel expected the the device had produced an unexpected yield .f aodunt if ne gatons 2 Following detonation, the sampler aircraft took eff and flew toward the cloud, under the guidance of the USS ESTES which vectored the samplers to the. RB-36 control aircraft, flying near the cloud. ‘The RB-36 had an experienced and highly skilled crew of controllers aboard. Dr. Plank, Colonel Fackler, and Colonel Houghton were on hand to direct the samplers, In addition, Major Billy Burke, on temporary duty from the 925th Test Group (Atomic), and Major Finis A, Mitchell, the 926th Test Squadron (Sampling) munitions officer, were on the control aircraft, The experience of these people comprised more than 35 atomic detonations before Operation CASTLE, They studied the growth and formation of the cloud and gave the sampler pilots specific directions on what portion of the cloud to 2 penetrate and how long to stay around, 5 104 SWEH-2-003); \ nh AAPOR 100; ae: om highest yield would be 17 megatons, “However, early results indicated that