CHAPTER 14.3
PERSONNEL TRANSPORTATION
The transportation requirements of personnel were, of course,
directly influenced by the changing personnel requirements at the
Jobsite and by fluctuations in the rate of personnel procurement and
medical and security clearance.
On this Project, Jobsite personnel requirements changed radically
in total numbers and in particular classifications, because of changes
in the scope of the Project and particularly because of the addition
of the Military Structures Program and the extensive Scientific Structures Program.
The rate of procurement of personnel also varied radically. Procurement was affected by changes in the over-all employment situation
in the United States, by increases in the on-continent wage rates, by
increase in armed forces as a result of the Korean War, and by changes
in the rate of security processing.
The variable result of these
factors imposed radical fluctuations in the flow of personnel and required a system of transportation which afforded a maximum of flexibility. Since there were no scheduled commercial facilities available
beyond Hawaii, H & N was dependent upon the facilities offered by MSTS
ships and by MATS. It might also be noted that MATS westbound traffic
originates normally at San Francisco and, barring close cooperation of
MATS personnel at Hawaii, entry into the MATS system at that point is
extremely difficult. However, as will be seen from the statistics
which follow, commercial air transportation to Hawaii was used when
MATS space from Travis was not available and a turn-around flight
from Hawaii to Kwajalein was instituted because of H & N requirements.
Table 14.3-1 indicates the number of individuals transported
to the Jobsite and the method by which they were transferred.
The total of 2724 transported by MATS from Honolulu includes
all of those individuals transported from the United States via commercial aircraft and via MATS plus those individuals who were hired
in Honolulu and entered the MATS system at that terminal.
The total
of 3348 individuals shipped westward is obtained by combining the
last three columns. It will be noted that 81 per cent were transported from Honolulu by the MATS system.
Personnel travel during the first half of the calendar year of
1949 consisted principally of individuals on initial reconnaissance
missions or for the establishment of a camp.
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