clothed by Kwajalein NAS.
The aircraft used in these evacuatidgns also re-
quired considerable decontamination.
The RAF Canberras that were permitted to sample the CASTLE
Clouds were based and supported at Kwajalein NAS.
Kwajalein N
also included supervision of the decontamination of the sampli
Thirteen personnel from Kwajalein NAS, including one civilian,
sures reported in the Consolidated List.
The exposures were n
Idetonation
support
aircraft.
fnrave expovery large
{less than 0.500 R), with the exception of the civilian, who rebeived almost 3 R.
These exposures probably were accrued from decontamination and
evacuation operations.
VP-29 operational activities are summargfized in
Table 68.
Task Unit 7.3.4 (Joint Task Force Flagship Unit)
The Estes, an amphibious force flagship with additional confmunications
equipment installed, served as the Flagship Element during CAS
provided command,
control,
and communications facilities for J
quarters, as well as for TG 7.1 and 7.4 during CASTLE.
During
E.
It
7 headBikini
operations, the JTF Weather Central and Radiological Safety Offfice were
also located on board the Estes.
Originally, the Estes was to have been based at Enewetak be—ween shots
at Bikini.
When the entire Bikini operation had to move afloat after shot
BRAVO on 1 March, the Estes remained at Bikini for most of the
PASTLE se-
ries.
fo Enewetak
The ship was present for all Bikini shots, and returned
for shot NECTAR on 14 May.
Table 69 summarizes the ship's operfitional ac-
tivities for CASTLE shots.
The Estes was contaminated by radioactive fallout after BRA
ROMEO.
and
The peak intensity topside occurred about 2 hours after BRAVO,
when it was estimated at 0.400 R/hr
(see Table 21).
Fifteen offthe crew
were given an MPE waiver; however, none of these individuals acfually exceeded 3.9 R.
of 6.95 R)
Thirteen other crewmen did have excessive exposufes
without a waiver of MPE.
These
353
(maximum
individuals were among a group