assisted in decontaminating the harbor craft and small boats lfft behind
in Bikini Lagoon during shots detonated there.
A total of 31
the Utility Unit received exposures greater than 3.9 R during
personnel of
FASTLE.
Task Unit 7.3.6 (Atomic Warfare Ship Countermeasures Test Unit
This unit contained two task elements.
The Drone Ship Ele
7.3.6.0, was made up of the specially modified Liberty ships,
George Eastman)
and YAG-40
(USS Granville S. Hall).
included the Molala, whose primary
bility was servicing the YAGs, and the Tawakoni, both of them
responsiFleet tugs
The principal purpose of the unit was tofluse the
eee er ab Beers meee eee
of the Utility Unit.
and Decon-
YAGS as data~-collection platforms for Projects 6.4 and 6.5, which required
ee am Ssoe
ee ee aire
tamination Element, 7.3.6.1,
The Towin
tamination and the ease with which they could be decontaminate -
both ships to be positioned in the area of heaviest fallout.
oth YAGs
were instrumented with fallout-collection devices,
as well as
ith various
in order to determine their susceptibility to
allout con-
test materials,
Each
ship had a shielded control compartment and, in addition, could
be oper-
ated by remote control.
topside,
While YAG-39 mounted a washdown system
YAG-40 did not, thereby providing a coritrol situation for the
qxperiments
being conducted on board both ships.
The YAGS were employed on shots BRAVO, ROMEO, UNION, and Y
Neither ship had a crew on board for the first two shots, but
EE.
the lat-
ter two YAG-39 carried a skeleton crew that controlled the shigg
from the
shielded control compartment.
s for
The usual pattern of operation
crews to sail both YAGs to Bikini Lagoon prior to the tests.
fore the
ships left the lagoon, most YAG crewmen were transferred to other TG 7.3
ships for evacuation sorties.
Skeleton crews then sailed the
debarkation point in the anticipated fallout area accompanied
Molala.
The tug removed the skeleton crews and took over the
mote control.
(There is evidence that the Bairoko might also
remote-control capabilities.)
Gs to a
the
Gs by reve had
An Enewetak-based P2V-5 aircraft] equipped
with remote controls assumed control of the YAGs for the duratipbn of shottime activities.
The skeleton crew on board YAG-39 could also
363
fontrol