CHAPTER 4 BRAVO TEST The first event of the CASTLE series, BRAVO, was scheduled ffor detona- tion on a small artificial island connected to Nam by a causeway. land was built over the reef some 3,000 feet (914 meters) The device, provided by Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory The is- southWest of Nam. (LASL)} was to be detonated on 1 March 1954 if meteorological conditions were favprable. DECISION TO SHOOT The preshot 5-day advisory message to the Atomic Energy comission (AEC), the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), and the Commander-in-Chllef of the Pacific (CINCPAC) indicated that the BRAVO fallout would form a] fan~shaped pattern from northwest to northeast if the predicted winds held Based on this favorable wind pattern, a search for transient shipping wag conducted northwest of ground zero on BRAVO D-2.' The flight pattern was @entered on a bearing of 300° from ground zero and consisted of radar coverdge by the patrol aircraft of a rectangular corridor 200 nmi (1,480 km) long. 330°. (370 km) wide[by 800 nmi On BRAVO D~l a search sector was set up on a With radar coverage, this search encompassed a trapezoid 600 nmi (1,110 km) long with end lengths of 100 nmi (185 km) at ground 200 nmi eading of (370 km) at the outer end. Results of these searches dero and e nega- tive (Reference 79). On BRAVO D-l at 1100 hours, the task force predicted visory to the CINCPAC) Marshalls." "no significant fallout . . (in the] H-18 ad- . for the pognulated Moreover, the task force predicted that no safety problems would exist except on air or surface routes in the sector 275° tbh 80° clockwise to a range of 450 nmi (833 km) 201 (Reference 16, p. K-2).