usually requested one day in advance.
Frequently the Marine helicopters
flew as many as forty missions a day.
The Eniwetok intra-atoll airlift operated five L-13's, four H-19's
and two H-13's provided by Task Group 7.4.
The number of available air
craft fluctuated, and there was an occasional shortage of H-19's.
Task Group 7.4 operated four round trips daily between Eniwetok and
Bikini Atolls.
Two PBM's were available for augmenting the C-47's.
The Bikini airstrip was temporarily knocked out of commission by
BRAVO.
The Navy PBM's assigned to TG 7.4 were then saddled with the
intra-atoll burden until the island's radiation level permitted re-entry
and repair of the strip.
This temporary use of PBM's proved imsatis-
_
factory because of choppy waters and the difficulty of transferring passengers and cargo into small boats.
Some of the C-47's were used for
other flights, temporarily creating a shortage on the 180 nautical mile
run from Enivetok Island to Eninman Island.
F.
WEATHER STATIONS
ce
eee
Weather stations were established on the inhabited islands of Majuro,
Ponape and Kusate, islands under the jurisdiction of the Trust Territories, Department of the Interior.
However, during the IVY-CASTLE interval
each weather facility was completely evacuated and the unoccupied builidings and structures deteriorated rapidly from the dampness and other adverse effects of the Pacific climate.
Thus, extensive rehabilitation was
necessary to reactivate these weather stations.
Rongérik, the fourth’
weather station, was normally wminhabited, and also required renovation.
Construction material for rehabilitation was limited, making such work
difficult.
AFWL/ RC
nae
a
;
:
bl