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U.Pratt, Me Dev
1 Dacambar 1973
7
, Paga Two:
Tp.
5 ppeaksmore,
adiveutlyte
to:‘the. question. that. Harry.Brown. presented
.
" -yeatéxrday; am. yaty-much: opposed: to-basing:a light helicoptor -abeard our
ghargsred. vessel for the January-Sebraary medical survey. Tohave a numbar of
Sasons for taking this position, but first.f think.it would. ba.wisa for nz to
outline my qualifications4for¥ baking th1232 obsarvations and recommendations
Por 30 yeara“y!‘was a: Haval. aviator us. well;as a Haval physician and.
flight surgeon, For: the first 11 yaars of that perLodii was solely a Naval.
aviator and had rather: extensiva experience with heligoptors.
During ny pactod
of shipboard duty aboard. savaral Forrestaliclaas,carriers, firet as a Junior
Medical Officer and then aa a Senior MedicalOfficer, it. was my responsibil?
to assure safety of flight, particularly ‘in, helicoptor areas, both. andi on
¢
the flight deck o£ larrga.carriers, and in.“support of surfaca ships wE the sine
of da atcoyerac79 Sart rhoxau hiy:
:
‘
m
dated with
Tighe heticoptor’
gi
{
tI have “a long lise of references of ©
Saectdent reports dnvolving attempts to support light -helicophors on small
vessels. This is au extremelyhazardous operation evan under ideal conditi
The period of tha medical survey includes tha roughest weather of the
year and-we can ablnost guarantee 30~-knot winds and rough seas throughout the
entire survey, .. AovShea_sutvsyleader and medical officer in charge of this
gurvey, Thywild not accept the responsibility for the hazards presented by
a helicoptor operating off tha ship.
A compounding problem which I suggested to Harry and which apparently
has not been considered in the past, is the fact that Kwajalein, as a highly
restricted military area, hag some vary stringent rules concerning overfl!shrs
by private aircraft. There would have to be some very significant nodifieations of thelr present security measures to allow’ any, private overfliguia.
Again, I have no advance warning a3 to whan there might ba incoming misstles
into the Kwajalein test range, and there would have to be constant comnunicrtion
between the ship at sea and the Kwajalein operations center so that a
private helicoptor didn't stray into an axea of incoming missiles.
All of these problems I'm afraid would interfere with the basic misston
of this ship which is the support of tha DOZ Medical Program during this
time frame. I would suggest that if Mr. Otterman has potentially pressing
business obligations tn some other area that he has two options:
(1) he can
appoint a suitable surrogate to solve those problems for him while he is
aboard the ship; or (2) he-can make arrangements for a private charter,
fixed wing aireraft to pick him up landing in the lagoon of either Utirik or
Kwajalein.
As each day unfoldd and we coma face to face with new and more unusual
requests (demands) from Mr. Otterman regarding the details of this chartor
arrengenent, I find myself mora and mouse skeptical about the future renewal
of this contract. I assume that the previous adminlatrative arrangements
concerning tha control of tha vassel, echedula, and tha disposition o£. tha
vessal in port wilh be as it has baen in tha past with our previous vassel