at
5.
SPECIAL CLOUD TRACKING (WILSON) FLIGHTS:
a.
:
The first of these flights, Wilson 2, wes dlrected
by Rad Safe to pre-planned post~siot seerch.
This reguired tre
aircraft to remain in a holding pettern track apprexzizately 50
miles West of Ground Zero from plus two to plus five hours.
This portion of the track was designed for the purpose of dee
tecting radioactive cloud movements toward Eciwetok stoll.
os
BRAVO the maximum activity encountered wes less then 15 cr/hr.
Through a misunderstanding of control procedures, Wilson 2 overestayed in the holding pattern. When Rad Safe realized this fect,
CIC was requested to order him into the previously designated
search sector at once.
Ths delay, however, resulted in tris aire
craft being well behind and to the North of the clout sescects
thet must have caused fallout on Rongerik and Rongelap. gt 155m:
the aircraft reported its maxircur reading during this flight. Tris
wes reported as being between 500 and 1000 ar/hr approximacely
150 nautical miles from Ground Zero at a bearing of 60 desrees.
This and the subsequent deta appeared to verify the forecast cloud
trejectories wnich indicated the upper cloud segmants would leere
ths PPG on an approximate bearing of 70 degrees, thus avoiding
the populated atolls.
Wilson 2 sudssequently reported ic-fligkt
difficulty with ths instruments used.
be
On the besis of the results of the Wilson 2 flight
the second tracker, Wilson 3, wes instructed to searck tLe Sass
general area but to proceed further Fast to define the rate of
cloud rovement. 4£4t approximetely 2000y% information was received
indicating the possibility of some contamination in ths Ronge>
Rongelap area. 4 message was immediately dispatched to T¢ Fu
requesting Wilson 3 to alter his search area in such a manner as
to cover ths populated area to the East. Communication delays
prevented Wilson 3 from complying with the request.
This plus
the fact that no exact instrument readings (instead a range of
readings) were reported made interpretation of cloud tracking
data difficult.
Co
-
Subsequent Wilson flights ( fcr plus one day) were
cancellec when it appeared that no air ccntazination protierc ez-
isted at that tims.
6.
y
/
WEATHE RECONNAISSANCE FLIGETS:
Two Petrel Juliet veether reconnaissence fligits were
flown on plus one dey. fTnese flights were fiom to tae Soutt acd
to the Southeast and indiceatec essentially zero air coxnta=tsatics.
2
ere