CHAPTER H, SECTIONS 18-2 for particular Inspection that all work was completed and met requirements. 6. Concrete placement approval, informing Construction that Inspection had checked all items and approved the work as ready for placement of concrete. This permitted reasonable control to avoid any unauthorized or unscheduled pours which are prone to oveur where widely scattered operations are involved. 9. Inspectors’ check-off list, similar to the check-off list as used by the U.S. Army Engineers for inspection. This check-off list represented the minimum requirements of the inspection standards. ingredients to be used purposes. -1 . Inspection punch fist, used by inspectors to note items of work yet to he accomplished or corrections required. 8. Completion report, the final notice bv 10. In addition, a daily log or diary was maintained by each inspector and by the Material Testing Laboratory. Mechanival and clectrical features for Scientific Stations were tested for operation to the satisfaction of the User. SECTION 2 CONSfRUCTION Preliminary consideration of construction for OPERATION CASTLE was inaugurated in June 1952 when a request was received from the Field Manager for a reconnaissance and report for facilities on Bikini Atoll. This request resulted in a carcful study of construction equipment and other long delivery items for the purpose of evaluating the capatnlity of carrying on construction work at two widely separated sites, Eniwetok and Bikini. Since reinforced concrete construction was to be one of the major items, the requirements for large scale aggregate production equipment were finalized and orders placed for the delivery of two crushing and screening plants. In September 1952 a directive was received to proceed with the establishment of a heachhead camp on site Tare at Bikini and the construction of a 250-man temporary camp capable of being expanded to a 1000-man camp, a 4500-foot by 150-foot airstrip with connecting causeways, and beaching facilities for LSTs and smaller marine craft. Since this requirement occurred as the construction phase o1 IVY was drawing to a close, it was possible to staff the initial Bikini effort with manpower and equipment as it became surplus to the needs of the work at Elmer, on Eniwetok Atoil. erage radiation level in this area was 50 to 95 mr per hour in December, necessitating close Rad-Safe control over men working in this area, Some experimental work was done toward decontaminating the areas and it was found that the most satisfactory results were obtained by removal of vegetation and up to 12 inches of the top soil in areas affected. Attempts to decontaminate concrete slabs in the camp by flushing with salt water were not too satisfactory in that most of the readily removable or soluble irradiated particles had been already washed off by normal rains. The early stages of construction were carric! on by forces based at Elmer and flown into Ursula each morning by plane. Later the forces were based on an LCUequipped as a house boat. By May 1953 the radiation level had been lowered by decontamination and decay to a point that allowed the forces to live ashore in a camp indefinitely, within allowable dosage. In November 1952 a directive was received from ihe Ficld Manager to establish a temporary 200-man camp at Ursula and to proceed These two requircments for camps provided the pattern for planning bases cf operation for CASTLE. The entire scope of the Scientific Program was not known at this time; however, cnough information was available in January 1953 for preliminary planning of requirements for manpower, construction materials, air and surface transportation, communications, shipping, and construction equipment. Advance material estimates were prepared and orders placed for common usage construction materials and additional cquipment. usable land. Figure 2-26 shows the radioactive crater partially filled on Ruby. This picture was taken on 25 March 1953 and work was underway to lower the radiation level. This work was complicated by the fact that the av- In April 1953 the scope of Scientific Structure construction for CASTLE was well delineated for both atolls, and final scheduling of the work, location of the concrete batching plants, establishment of material stockpiles, allocation with the filling of the Ruby Crater to create Page 2-51 ee eeeis ——! ee ame ae eed ia tins, =m.