2.2.15 USS NICHOLAS (DDE-449) On 1 March, the NICHOLAS was approximately 300 miles south of Enewetak Atoll when Shot BRAVO was detonated and did not arrive at Bikini until 4 March. The NICHOLASencountered no fallout following Shot BRAVO. Following Shot ROMEO, the NICHOLAS reentered Bikini Lagoon at approximately 1700 hours. “At 2000 hours, the ship departed Bikini in company with the CURTISS enroute to Enewetak, arriving there at 0800 hours, 28 March. The ship departed the evening of 29 March to patrol the waters east and southeast of the atoll, and returned at approximately noon on 30 March. Two waves of fallout occurred on Enewetak following Shot ROMEO (see Section 2.2.1)--the first during the evening of 27 March and the second on 29-30 March (see Figure 2-4), It is assumed that the NICHOLAS encountered the second wave of fallout while it was in the vicinity of Enewetak. Figure 2-25 depicts the radiation environment as inferred from the Enewetak data. Approximately 7 hours after Shot UNION was detonated on 26 April, the . NICHOLAS, while on patrol 90 miles west southwest of Bikini, encountered fallout from the UNION cloud. Material Condition ABLE was set at 1313 hours, and the washdown system was turned on (Reference 8). Intensity levels peaked at 1417 hours with average intensities of 37 mR/hr being recorded; a maximum intensity of 110 mR/hr was also reported at this time (Reference 8). Washdown continued until 1429 hours and Material Condition BAKER was set at 1440 hours. Figure 2-26 depicts the reconstructed radiation environment following Shot UNION. Radioactive decay after 1417 hours (H+8) is assumed to follow the Bikini decay rates (Section 2.2). Following Shot NECTAR on 14 May, the NICHOLAS was on patrol in the vicinity of Enewetak Atoll. It entered the lagoon to refuel at approximately 1600 hours and resumed patrol at approximately 2200 hours. The time in the lagoon corresponds to the time when Enewetak received minor fallout from Shot NECTAR (see Section 2.2.1 and Figure 2-5) and it is assumed the NICHOLAS received this fallout.. 96