Grove, which transported some shot devices between Enewetak an
Bikini as
the Special Devices Transport Element, 7.3.9.0, and escort destfoyers,
which served to screen this activity as Task Element 7.3.9.2.
LST-551, both permanently assigned to the unit, also transporte
vices under escort from Enewetak to Bikini.
Otherwise,
ST-762 and
shot de-
these tho LSTs,
along with LST-1146 and the Terrell County (assigned to Task El pment
7.3.7.3), Carried passengers and freight between the two atolls
The USNS
Fred C. Ainsworth, a ship of the Military Sea Transportation Se vice
with a civilian crew, was the other permanent member of the uni
(MSTS)
This
ship provided housing and mess facilities for H&N personnel, TG 7.5, at
Bikini.
It also served as a radsafe center and decontamination facility,
utilizing a barge moored alongside for these activities.
Table
82 through
85 describe activities of each TU 7.3.9 ship during the shots f@r CASTLE.
Typically, the LSTs remained at Enewetak for Bikini shots,
nd at Bi-
kini, the Ainsworth evacuated personnel from TG 7.5 and sortied|for its
Bikini operating area.
The ship returned to the lagoon only af er initial
recovery operations had begun.
The Ainsworth was slightly contaminated by BRAVO fallout on 1 March
(Table 21).
LST~-762 was also contaminated by YANKEE fallout wh: le under
tow by LST-975 en route to Pearl Harbor.
Two individuals in the unit recorded exposures slightly in 4 xcess of
the MPE.
One of them was a crewman on board LST-762,
on board LST-551.
the other a Crewman
The LST-762 crewman was logged out from 25 F
ruary to
at least 8 March on emergency leave to Treasure Island, Califormia, and no
reference is made to his returning.
MPE waiver.
Neither crewmember had recdived an
No details have been found of any special mission
signment
undertaken by either crewmember to account for the high reading
OTHER NAVAL UNITS IN THE PPG OR IN
NEARBY WATERS DURING CASTLE
Except for VR-7, no units in the following listing are repr
the personnel exposures of the Consolidated List.
373
These units
ented in
re not