assisted in decontaminating the harbor craft and small boats lfft behind
in Bikini Lagoon during shots detonated there.

A total of 31

the Utility Unit received exposures greater than 3.9 R during

personnel of
FASTLE.

Task Unit 7.3.6 (Atomic Warfare Ship Countermeasures Test Unit
This unit contained two task elements.

The Drone Ship Ele

7.3.6.0, was made up of the specially modified Liberty ships,
George Eastman)

and YAG-40

(USS Granville S. Hall).

included the Molala, whose primary

bility was servicing the YAGs, and the Tawakoni, both of them

responsiFleet tugs

The principal purpose of the unit was tofluse the

eee er ab Beers meee eee

of the Utility Unit.

and Decon-

YAGS as data~-collection platforms for Projects 6.4 and 6.5, which required

ee am Ssoe

ee ee aire

tamination Element, 7.3.6.1,

The Towin

tamination and the ease with which they could be decontaminate -

both ships to be positioned in the area of heaviest fallout.

oth YAGs

were instrumented with fallout-collection devices,

as well as

ith various

in order to determine their susceptibility to

allout con-

test materials,

Each

ship had a shielded control compartment and, in addition, could

be oper-

ated by remote control.

topside,

While YAG-39 mounted a washdown system

YAG-40 did not, thereby providing a coritrol situation for the

qxperiments

being conducted on board both ships.
The YAGS were employed on shots BRAVO, ROMEO, UNION, and Y
Neither ship had a crew on board for the first two shots, but

EE.
the lat-

ter two YAG-39 carried a skeleton crew that controlled the shigg

from the

shielded control compartment.

s for

The usual pattern of operation

crews to sail both YAGs to Bikini Lagoon prior to the tests.

fore the

ships left the lagoon, most YAG crewmen were transferred to other TG 7.3
ships for evacuation sorties.

Skeleton crews then sailed the

debarkation point in the anticipated fallout area accompanied
Molala.

The tug removed the skeleton crews and took over the

mote control.

(There is evidence that the Bairoko might also

remote-control capabilities.)

Gs to a
the
Gs by reve had

An Enewetak-based P2V-5 aircraft] equipped

with remote controls assumed control of the YAGs for the duratipbn of shottime activities.

The skeleton crew on board YAG-39 could also

363

fontrol

Select target paragraph3