Memorandum to M B Biles, Subject: Trip Report 1970 Bikini Survey (Enclosures)

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2.‘ Repair of equipment, mostly through cannibalization. 3; Digging holes for coconut plantings using heavy equipment on Eneu (no trees planted - just holes dug). 4. Driving tractor along cleared paths on Bikini to keep them open from new scrub growth. Planting of coconuts had come to a halt since much of this is hand labor. Host of thz equipment left after cleanup oprations‘ is now unusable due to lack of maintenance and spare parts. The one rnzchnnic has no tima for preventative maintsnance and repair of equipment consists largely of temporary measur:58. Hr. Glenn stated that he was expecting the arrival of a group of high school students t?ho’ will work in th.2 Atoll during the smtiar months. After lcavlng Bikini, Hr. Hakanisi was to recruit n3w wxlcsrs for the agricultural project. Workers other than Eikinians will also be hired if th3 workers from Kili stay on strike. One problem 1i. Glenn has that is a nuisance but could be serious is comunications t?ith the outsids world. Th3re was one tuba type radio traasccivzr on Eneu and no backup equipment other than spare tubzs, . Elajuro, &jajnlcin, or a ship naarby could sonstim2s be contacted. At Other tic136 no station could be raised. Hr. Glenn reported that the radio set had broken dovn on occasion and they ware once without any possibility of outside contact for cevaral wscks until a ship arrived. This could be serious since there is on19 a first aid tent with corns supplies left from cleanup days and no medical person on the Atoll. ‘Upon arrival at Ensu, the su&ey equipment was off-loaded. The team rnzmbers carried a considerable share of this hznvy work. As soon ns the air smplcrs mre ashore, they -were lined up, fueled, and test - rtins made. l&b Catlin and I photographed the coconut tree nursery and the tress planted in TOWSSE of the runway. Photos were also taken of air samples checkout. In discussions with Hr. Nakanisi about tba vegetation that was knockad down in clearing the strips on Bikini, hz stated he would very much like information on the powered shredders that can chop up vagatation. I agreed to obtain this and send it to him. Ho also stated they vi11 soon be planting a gatdsn on Bicini, I expressed an interest in obtaining samples which ‘he said they would be happy to supply.

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tlednssday night we packed for the trip to Wornand to Bikini. mjroday Catlin, Lynch (GVO) and I walked to the IW tip near thu Gravo crater and back through thz center past the earth covered bunker making photos a8 we went. field and saveral of the ships crew collected fish anJ . Ron gagle (U. of t&h.) with assistance from aovaral of the ships crew collected a bottom snz~pls from the Bravo cratar. Waasured with a hand-held gama inotrwnt the two-gallon sample measured 30 &:jhr with thz ba&ground on the ship at 3 pi;/hr. This and eubseauent meosuremnts was mde with an E-XXX! instrument reading gac~na only. Thursday night BC arrived at Bikini and set-up camp in two of the three latrine buildings in the old how camp area at the couthsrn end of the island. Radio cozzJnicat ions, usin portable sets provided by XV, were established between Eneu and Bii:ini. I!c hod the first drin!: of cistern water, fron ti;z 10,030 gallon cisterns, which tasted 1ik.o concrete but good. Ths cisterns were full to ths overflow leval. TIw first of the problems with the M boats, was expzricnccd after off-losding the jcap; jeep trailor, air saqlcrs, gasoline drums, and camp su;,:Jics on Bikini. Ths ramp cotild not then b e lifted and was han.ging in t11e water when th3 boat backed off the shore. The boat was later &iv.zn all the way back to Cneu with the ra:np doha and the crane on the daek was used to lift ths ramp btick in place. Th3 rsmps would nbt function on any of the thrca Ii boats. For additional discussion of this problem, see Attacluj,3nt 1 and Attachzksnt 2. ths Peter-Oijos corn?lcx and was used in constructins the cisterns. The instrument read 8 pi:/hr on top thz pile., The area around the pila sllo:O~od about -10 ~i’Jhi* k hole about 1 foot deep was dug in th* top of til.3 pile and the instruznt placed at the bottom. Thz meter than rend 3-G (rT;/hr. The naarby sand pila, usitd in cistern construction, shoved 4-5 pZ/hr with the instrument partly buried,. Later in the day WJ boarded tha Uafa Adai for a trip to the islam along the southern rim. On the way we received a radio call that saveral L-n were overdus in ths Coston tt’haler (none o f the survey -tea3 were involved). They wore outside th,n reck’ and it vas auspactcd they may bs adrift end without power. The Ilofa Adai diverted to look for them. A hour or more later, the Vimler cau into sight under pow& and it was explained that there was a mix-up in signals, they had aeon the tiafa Adai searching, realized they were the object of the search, and had been chasing us.

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The Hnfe Adai dropped utr at Enidrik so we could search for coconut crabs. Tha chip moved Co1.m to harokoj where they would pick us up later. No crabs were found, We too!c the smell boat ‘across th? pass from Enidrik to IInaman. The 10;~ spot on Enomsn tjhcre the highost radiation levels and highest PJ values were found was obcervod under water (tli%first tim I had seen it this way in six visits). The water was about a foot deep in th3 middle. Ten cocl:i,e cutter soil samples were taken 5 f cet apart in a dry area slm~lng 100 to 150 @I?/hr. The radiation level inside the photo bunker, a short distance dowz~ the island, t.ms2 @/hr. Outsidg levels were betseon 1 end 3 @'I/hr, aggregate pilo encountered tmlking East aloq the Pc?ter-Oboecmpiax showad 1 to 2 #:/hr with the lzzterplaced in the aggregate. The second qgragato pile read thz ~LIF.Z; After making. these maasurcmznts, we boerdad the ship and went back to Bikini. Saturday morning Fir. Catlin and Mr. Tiialgott left Gikini on the Hafo Adai at 0303. Lynch and f set about tryin to rig a house simulator aggrc$ltc). Tr:o card’oonrd boxes, one inside the other, were used to forz, wall spaces six inches thick. Thz boxes plus bags of-.aggrcgate we carried to a point 350 feet inlcind f r-oia the lagoon road near mid-island and East of a small concrete house, Radiation levels in the area were 120, 125, 130, and 125 pX/hr. Rending at ground level where the simulator was placed was 125 pPJhr.. The large box was put in place and oggrc$ate added to form a layer 6 inches daep. The motet was centered in the box over the 6 inch layer and the reading was 75 @/hr. Xext the smaller box was put in place and aggregate added as shown.

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.: Note: Row6 run lengthwise tbe islirnd and the n-berlng system used is that davaloped during cleanup. The reading dropped to 45 pR/hr or 8n over811 reduction of a factor of three coqared with the external 12~~1. On Suaday morning, &ay 31, the tara members on Bikini bagan soil sampling i3 r;rou_sof two along ttlz claored rota. Lynch and I drawing for locations. Sarsplcs wzre taken, ciisturbad and uqclisThe cookie cutter saqAer used tekcs 8 plug of coil about 4 inchx in di8z?eter and one inch damp. Sluxlay afternoon we rested and want Monday morning we resumed soil razqling. Lynch and I sampled REV $3 locations and the scond 15. Soils varied convidarobly in organic content is just 103 fazt of dictcncc: Koat un.Jisturbed arCas contained 8 n;at of lcavzs and tvigs all Fntcrmr?shcd. These had to bo removed to a depth of 3 or 4 inches to get do\Jn to soil.

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Hondajtafternoon Iloldand I went to look for coconut craba. We . ; taw tmm signs but no crabs. Tuesday morning t-13 resumed soil sampling. Lynch and I sam?lcd thj while soil snmplinpl. Eisldcaught a coconut crab ha spotted Wdnnsday mornins Lynch and I saxqled the 17th Row from the 1st Bnczline Hd South to the 2nd Bnscline Road south. Also that day wa collected 300 poundn of coral aggregate from the pile near the How camp site. Thursday, photographtidthe daily air src;glarmaintenance and refueling mission and duat production by thz jzp on tha lagoon road. Ehds were obtoinzd by making 5 roadiqs around each station:

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The air sampler station locations were 88 follows: . Number 1 was just off the lqoon road nczr the X!ow camp site in a position such that it would expariencc the dust from the road. Number 2, 4, and 5 wre on the Cmfer Line I:oad with 2 near the beach landing site on the lagoon r;idc of til? road, 4 on thz concrete. launch pad site m&i-island, and 5 ~2s near the ocean shore and ur:ind of the other two ns the wind was tlcving across the island from the ocean side toxord the lagoon. limber 3 IGasnear the North end of the island and inshore from the lagoon road. ikiday, ma& rneaouremantsat thz soil pit dug by Eagle near tha ho:; camp site. At plus 3 feet above ground thz instruzent read 85 p?Jhr. At the bottom of thz pit, about 3 feet down, it read 25 @Jhr. Goa surface soil had fallen into the pit. Next wa‘drained water~~from one cistern down to the level of ths outlet pipe (it was almojt empty from taking: showers) and than pumped the . level down further with a ‘gasoline powered pup. Thsre remained about 3/4 inch of water in th a bottom of the cistcm that the pump would not pick up. The cisc&n walls were about 6 inches thick. Thz thickness . N&t I made measurements around the cistern out at a distance of about

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IIaxt, masuramznts were made at the four walls: Center floor contact 2 ” Thus) ths reduction factor for thn cist~-~~ was about 4. We then collected nlge from the floor and walls. 110 sediment was found in the bottom of the cistern. . Living conditions on Bikini ware primitive. The team wmbars lived in two of the thi-ca latrine buildings in the old Row canrp area. Durint utattrcss covers and blaukts. Initially, food consisted of in-flight ration8 plus rice. Later, these ware supplemsnted with fish and langusta: caught by tea tiers. . A latrine wus dug down&d out of doors. What it Lacked f&m a human engineering aspect was compensated by a spectacular view. One user stated thct this WM the fLr6t time since he was 3 that ha t:ishod his mom was tharo to help. On the whole I would say_ these conxnon inconviences tendad to add to the spirit of cooperation and the Bikini surwy was not hirdered in any w&y. This is a tribute to those uho made up the team.

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There. were a large were a nuisance at number of rats in and around the camp area. night what with: sleeping on th3 floor. One item not related to the survey is worth mentioning. A jet type f1avy ’ target drone aircraft wit.h a vin g SF?, of about 18 feet was found washad up on the ocean shore near tha ilou’ camp site. It bore the markings Co~?artmmts in the nose of thz aircraft wero damaged, ware op zn to salt water; am? cqui?zent inside heavily ccrroded. L rear compartment with Kr. Kirk’s help and found it had undamaged. We removed the tvo major co~cacnts in the compartment which and cant to1 sys terns, \?han examined these uzrc found to be in gooci condition and wzre transported to R~ejaleiu cud turned over to a HSL:Jrqro8entative. It is my guess that this cquipmnt would be valued at several Part of the teem, of which I was one, went back to Eneu late Friday afterSaturday morning Lynch and I photographed the servicing of the four air samplers running ou Sncu. These were located as shorn below: Those operatin g the samplers were expsriencing difficulty with carbon loading of cylinder heads, values, and spark plqs in ths snnplar engines. Engina hoads were pulled -fi-cquontly to clean out carbon. .- The gasoline was suspected to be the cause of this problem. .

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The .following Is a t.entatlve sunmary of samples collected. end in the caq area. Both disturbed and undisturbed soil6 ware obtained. Some grorlpc of collected samples wzre coqJosited. : There were tW0 scrfes of ECparately tcq~:ed siiiqdcs, one running East and West and ona running Xorth and South. 3 soil pit collections in 1 inch increments to 10 inches and then by horizons to 35 inches. Also by l/2 cm insrownts to 3 cm. Aggregate - 300 pounds from Peter-Oboe complex. Water - 1 gal. from each of 3 well points plus collection6 of cistern Rats - 40 samptea from 2 cis ten. ,110sodimznt was found in the cistern. Coconut crab - 1 crab taken on Bikini.. Air - Filters from 5 samplers running Soils - About 50 samples from 3 area6 arca, and at 200 foot: intervals. alon continuously for 2 weeks (changed including camp area, mid-island runway, disturbed and undisturbed. Water - Gallon samples of wellwater (tap water) and cietern water.