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 obtaining surveillance powder samples from target ships) were completed. Approximately 1,036 tons of ammunition had been removed from about 35 ships in about 45 days with no serious injuries (Reference C.11.5, p. 1). In the process, 145 rescue breathing apparatus, 900 green fatigue shirts, 900 pairs of green fatigue trousers, 660 pairs of undershorts, 1,500 undershirts, 500 pairs of field shoes, 1,700 towels, 6,180 pairs of canvas work gloves, and 12,500 canvas shoe covers had been discarded. In addition, 150 rescue breathing apparatus were usable but contaminated, as were air compressors, generators, air hoists, and portable blowers used in the operation (Reference C.11.5, pp. 3-4). Exposures for the Ammunition Disposal Unit are discussed in Chapter 12.

In mid-October Commander Marianas requested Commander Service Force, Pacific (ComServPac), to transfer the Ammunition Disposal Unit intact to Guam to dispose of surplus ammunition. In view of the task they were just completing and the length of time they had been in the forward area, Commander Navy Task Group (CNTG) JTF 1 strongly advised against such a transfer and recommended that the entire unit be given leave before reassignment. ComServPac concurred (Reference C.0.24, p. 2).

Concurrent with the completion of this disposal, CNO ordered USS Gasconade (APA-85), USS Fallon (APA-81), USS Crittenden (APA-77), USS Brule (APA-66), Independence, and USS Mayrant (DD-402) towed to San Francisco and Hughes, Pensacola, Salt Lake City, New York, USS Rhind (DD-404), and Nevada towed to the Puget Sound area for examination. The towing was to be in the order listed, with one ship arriving in each area every 2 months. Only six of these twelve ships were ultimately towed to the United States. Bruce, Fallon, Rhind, and Mayrant were eventually sunk in the vicinity of Kwajalein. New York and Nevada were towed to Pearl Harbor for inspection and were later sunk off Oahu.

In connection with this, CNO directed that CNTG insure, insofar as practical in the forward area, the removal of all ammunition, including projectiles, before the vessels' arrival at the mainland. This, of course, called for a radical change of plans for the Ammunition Disposal Unit at Kwajalein. The rollup orders already issued for its dissolution on 23 October were cancelled and action was initiated to transfer the entire unit to Atoll Command Kwajalein (AtComKwaj) on 23 October at the same time that the target ship maintenance unit was transferred.

When the rollup plans were cancelled, the officer in charge of the disposal unit flew to Pearl Harbor to confer with CNTG. As a result of this conference, it was decided that removal of powder and small-caliber projectiles before the vessels' departure from Kwajalein would be practical and could be done well within the time limits imposed by the towing schedule. Removal of the large-caliber projectiles however, especially the 14-inch projectiles in New York and Nevada and the 8-inch projectiles in Pensacola, would present a very difficult, if not impossible, problem in view of the limited facilities by Kwajalein, but the task was initiated (Reference C.0.25, p. 1). All unstable ammunition and all pyrotechnics, catapult charges, igniters, detonators, boosters, torpedo expelling charges, and bulk black powder were removed from all target vessels at Kwajalein.

The status of ammunition in the eight target ships that were finally towed from Kwajalein was (Reference C.0.25, p. 12):

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