TESTS AFTER BRAVO
Test operations following BRAVO were seriously affected by the physical damage and radiological contamination from that burst and by the many
Postponements and schedule changes due to unfavorable weather.
Th
Com-
mander, TU 13 of TG 7.1 cited a number of BRAVO's effects on subsequent
Operations
(Reference 40, p. 16).
Among the more important were the:
(1) gradual loss of personnel as their total cumulative radiation
bxposure
exceeded the maximum limit because of radiological contamination oF
Bikini
Atoll land areas to which entry was mandatory for project purposes
(2)
loss of equipment by Projects 2.2 and 2.5 from a secondary fir
by BRAVO on the Eneman Island support facility;
(3) conversion froft
caused
land-
based to ship-based operations at Bikini, with attendant difficultlles of
personnel transport, communications, and equipment handling;
(4)
sBvere
boating conditions at Bikini during delay periods because of unfavprable
weather, which restricted maintenance of the experimental test stafions;
(5) deterioration of test stations caused by salt spray, humidity, rain,
and intense sun during the repeated shot-day postponements becausefof unfavorable weather; and (6)
changes of shot sequence, sites, and prpdicted
yields.
SCHEDULE CHANGES
The pre-CASTLE schedule called for seven shots as listed in Table 27.
This schedule reflected a concept designed to preserve the use of
[he
Aerokojlol-Aerokoj airstrip and facilities on Eneman, and on thosef islands
connected to it by causeways, until the last shot.
about 2.5 miles
(4 km)
The airstrip
from the burst point of this last shot, andj
storage facility was even closer on Lele.
an oil
Since these would probably be-
come useless following the Eneman shot, it was placed last.
246
s only
eta
ope aed
REA reper oeneg Swe ee ees + AFe IgE IE EE ee
CHAPTER 5