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Boston Whaler. High-speed outboard motor boats used to ferry up to eight persons
betweenislands.
The availability of boat transportation and the travel time between islands were frequently the
pacing factors in accomplishing a given task. All boats required a great deal of maintenance
and frequently work schedules had to be revised because of boat problems. The Navy crews
worked hard, but the dilapidated condition of many of the landing craft was difficult to
overcome.
During a few brief periods, the DOE Research Vessel Liktanur (based at Kwajalein) was used at
Enewetak as a dormitory ship for staging small ERSP work parties at remote islands. The
improvement in operational efficiency was significant--most of the day could be devoted to
workon the islands.
Vehicle. During most of the project, ERSP had the following complement of vehicles to
support its activities:
On Enewetak Island:
On Ursula:
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Two Carryalls
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Four Bicycles
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Plus occasional use of a pickup truck and forklift.
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Two four-wheel drive weapons carriers to support the three
IMPs which were based there.
Helicopters. The U.S. Army element had four UH-1H turbine powered helicopters at
Enewetak. Their primary assignment was search and rescue (medical evacuation). Secondary
uses were for command and control, reconnaissance and inspection, and twice-weekly mail runs
to Ursula. Occasionally, ERSP obtained helicopter support for transporting small numbers of
personnel and/or critical radiation survey equipment to locations where they were urgently
needed. Dramatic savings in time resulted when this was possible, especially when working at
the difficult-to-reach northwestern islands,
LARC. The Army element had four remarkable conveyances known as "LARCs," These were
amphibious vehicles capable of travel across land on tires about 10 feet in diameter and travel
in the water powered by propellers. A droppable front-end ramp enabled vehicles as large as
20-ton dumptrucks to be driven aboard and be transported nearly anywhere. Use of the LARC
was vital in taking heavy equipment to islands surrounded by shallow water such as in the
northwestern quadrant of the Atoll which could not be reached by the LCUs or LCMs. The
ERSP IMPs traveled by LARC to such places.
Transportation-Off-Atoll
Personne] traveled to and from Enewetak on MAC C-14]1 cargo aircraft operated by the USAF.
The C-141 is jet powered with four engines and can carry a load of about 36 tons. The cargo
hold can be fitted with passenger seats. In the configuration usually flown to Enewetak, the
aircraft carried sixty seats, a comfort pallet (alley and latrines), and 20 tons of cargo and
mail.
Usually, there was one combination passenger/cargo flight each week to and from Enewetak.
It would originate at Hickam AFBin Honolulu, fly 4-1/2 hours, stop at Wake Island for an hour,
and reach Enewetak after another hour's flight. The aircraft would continue on to Kwajalein
for crew rest and refueling. The following day, the aircraft would reverse the above route,
carrying passengers, mail and retrograde cargo to Honolulu.
In addition, there was at least one cargo flight from Hickam to Enewetak each week.
Frequently, these “all" cargo flights could and did carry a few passengers in web seats along
the wall.
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