remem ter emi . conjunction with the cancelled ECHO test, but the "loss" of Ehis effort vraably decreased the radiological exposure of DOD personnel. Aore disruptive to the DOD operations were the preparations to fire .& subsequent postponements due to weather. ROMEO was schedulkd on the L3th, the 15th, and the 21st of March; on each occasion instrumbntation nad to be prepared, timing devices reset, etc. ini was a radiological exclusion (radex) The fact that mbhch of Bi- area, which required trained ‘.dsafe monitor to accompany each working party, taxed the capabilities of (n@ radsafe unit. Individual projects were exposed to radiatio cnticipated ways. For example, Project 1.4 reports the elaborake proce- in un~ “ures required to service instrumentation if the shots were delfyed longer -taan 4 to 7 days (Reference 45). Such work was complicated by fhe fact -nat it had to be done in the radioactive environment caused by] BRAVO. Support instrumentation, such as Raydist slave stations use cositioning of experimental effects aircraft, had to be service in the and re- positioned due to the effects of BRAVO and to the changing conc ppts of the Operation. This required the personnel. from the Armed Forces S becial Weap- ons Project (AFSWP) to enter radiologically contaminated areas ro retrieve equipment (Reference 90). Following BRAVO, the ships and small craft at Bikini assumefi icant increase in responsibility. a signif- The original planning called] for post- shot reentry to the camps on Eneman and Eneu, but this was imposible. The change to an afloat operation at Bikini placed additional rfquirements on TG 7.3. a While anticipated as a possibility, this was never Probable before BRAVO (Reference 9, p. 114). onsidered The single most significant 3 operational effect was related to the employment of ships after] the deto- . nation. = ey All major vessels were required to remain permanently for use as housing. &t Bikini Originally the USS Estes was to be stationBd at Ene- wetak between detonations. The USS Bairoko had to prepare toc nduct all Bikini helicopter operations from its flight deck. The Air For te helicop- ters and one L-13 were returned to Enewetak, and the responsibi Lity of 249