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PART ttl, CHAPTER 4

CONSTRUCTION

HARDTACK, Phase I, 2 were high altitude, 4

were surface ground shots, 1 was a balloon shot,

2 were underwater or sub-surface, and 26 were

detonated on floating zero stations.

4.3

The high altitude events required an
entirely newtest facility at Site Howin
Bikini Atoll for the Army Ballistics Missile
Agency. This newfacility included the construction of 62 scientific stations, and was rushed to

completion in time for beneficial occupany only
through a “crash” program involving emergency
procurement and premium overtime payments.

At tne end of March, 1958. when the facility
was substantially complete, it became apparent

that the entireABMA program should be moved
to Johnston Island for reasons of safety that
developed only as the program advanced. Once
the acquisition of Johnston Island from the
Pacific Air Force Command was achieved by
CJTF-Seven on 10 April 1958, the gigantic
task of moving the entire ABMA facility from
Site Howto its new location began. Construction

crews removed the ABMAfacility and re-erected

it at Johnston Island in record time. Construction at Johnston Island was completed on 15
July, two weeks ahead of schedule.
ENGINEERING
4.4

The engineering of test structures for

Operation

HARDTACK

involved

the

design and construction of more than 350 scien-

tific structures at various locations within the
EPG. UCRL requirements and criteria were in
the hands of theAEC Contractor by the end of

4.5

Expansion of the off-site Rad-Safe
Weather Station network called for the
construction or rehabilitation of facilities at
four other atolls in the Marshall Islands, Rongelap, Ujelang, Utirik, and Wotho and at Kapingamarangi and Kusaie Atolls in the Carolines;
and at Tarawa in the United Kingdom Trust
Territory of the Pacific, as well as at Nauru in
the Australian Trust Territory. Weather Stations were also constructed at Truk and Ponape.

In most cases, materials were precut at Site
Elmer for assembly at the pertinent location.
4.6

The major scientific facilities at Eniwetok
Atoll were constructed at Sites Yvonne
and Janet and on the Gene-Helen-Irene complex.
These facilities were utilized in the detonation

of 18 LASL and 5 UCRL shots. Among the
major scientific structures were Station 91, 2

300-foot photo tower on Site Elmer; Stations
1130, 1611, and 1612 on Site Yvonne, and
Stations 1212.01 and 1212.02 on the Gene-HelenTrene complex.

Station 1312, constructed for LASL and

EG&G, was the largest scientific structure built

for the Operation (see Fig. 3-5). It was designed
as a Recording Station for participation in the
DOGWOOD, PINE, OLIVE, OAK, ELDER,
YELLOWWOOD, TOBACCO, and WALNUT

events. For this station alone, a total structural
concrete pour of 3673 cubic yards was required.
The floor plan provided for five utility rooms,
connecting passageways, and an escape hatch

December, 1957, and those of LASL bv the

compartment to the outside and through the
roof.

criteria to the r<lease of appraved plans for con-

Station 21, the GZ Station constructed for
LASL for the KOA event, consisted of two steel
tanks, one inside the other, and three sand-filled
boxes (see Fig. 3-6). The inner tank was 10 feet

middle of January. 1958. To expedite the necessarv enginecring Cesign and planning requirements of the <cicntifie program from initial

struction, HAN assigned Project Engineers from
its Los Angeles Office to provide liaison with
each of the major Scientific Users. At Jobsite,

the AEC Contractor created the position of
Technical Facilities Coordinator to execute new

and revised engineering design requirements and
to provide on-the-spot Haison hetween the Users

and the Contractor's Jobsite Engineering Division.

Headed

hy

the

Contractor's

Assistant

Engineering Manager and staffed with Project
Engineers. Design Engineers. and Design and
Senior Draftsmen from H&N’s Los Angeles

Office. this group staved in force at EPG from

January until lat. April, 1938, at which time
the position of Technical Facilities Coordinator
was sustained hv a Protect Engineer until earlv
June. The Technical Facilities Group proved

very effective in the expeditious processing of
User requirements and changes initiated at EPG
and aided immeas-rablyin the over-all construction effort. Drawings for Johbsite-designed test
facilities were approved by the Eniwetok Branch
engineering staff.

in diameter and 11 feet high; the outer tank was

30 feet in diameter and more than 22 feet high
to maintain 10 feet of water above the inner tank.
Power was supplied by two 30-kw 120 208-volt

motor generators.

4.7

Major scientific station construction at

Bikini Atoll was required on the OboePeter-Tare complex and at Site How. Station

2200, Site Sugar, was modified to add a gener-

ator room, and a 150-foot diagnostic tower was
constructed on top of the bunker and was designated as Station 2250. In conjunction with the
ABMA program, Stations 6001, a rocket firingpad and service tower, and 6002, a control bunk-

er, were constructed at Site How. In addition to

the two major facilities at Site How, there were

60 stations constructed for participation in the
two high altitude shots. When it was determined
that the ABMAfacilities would be reconstructed

at Johnston Island. all but 7 of the scientific

stations originally located on Bikini Atoll were

guxseany

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