Page:Operation Crossroads 1946.pdf/360

 USS LST-817

USS LST-545 28 J u l y 1256

on

0931ReportedGeigersweetby U ’ s team (Reference 6, pp. 7-I-A-23 and 7-I-A-24).

Current(ARS-22)reportedtheboarding team aboard (Reference 6, p. 7-Ifiresmoldering1610 8-31). 1952 Reported Geiger sour, average reading guished. 2.0 R/24 hours (Reference 5. p. 6-D-34). 1655 Team USS

B returned to ship.

8 August 0909 IBT-10 reported average malndeck reading 1115 ’Itrenty-seven officers and enlisted men 0.7 R/24 hours, inside superstructure returned LST-661 to from Rockwall. 0.35 R/24 hours. and tank deck 0.25 R/24 hours. 0835) J uShot l y, BAKER ( 2 5 10 August

24 July 0830OfficersandmenevacuatedtoRockwall.

0844-1041 DSM inspection team aboard. 15AugustInspectionscomplete.Madeavailableto13August 0830-0835 towing. for CTG 1.2

21 August Average topside reading 0.096 R/24 hours. 0900 August 21 Decommissioned. 0928 0930 0931

28 August Departed Bikini for Kwajalein.

30AugustAnchoredinKwajalein.

Commanding officer with Bureau of Ships representative and radsafe team boarded for inspection. Eleven officers and enlisted men boarded ship for Inspection. Commanding officer returned aboard. Inspection party left ship. Commanding officer left ship and returned to Rockwallwith inspection party.

25AugustUnderwaytoKwajaleln. USS LST-bb1

27 August Anchored in Kwajalein Atoll. 0900 Sixmenboardedtoremovemagnetometer.

Crew Slze: 62 BlkinA l tolA l rrlval: 1 June 1946 BlklnA l tolD l eparture: 25 August 1946 Crew L o c a t l o n for Shot ABLE: USS Rockwall(APA-230) Crew L o c a t l o n for Shot B A K E R : R o c k w a l l km) NNE Shot ABLE L o c a t l o n : 2.320 y a r d s( 2. 1 Shot B A K E R L o c a t l o n : 2,653yards(2.4 km) N Sunk 2 5 J u l y1 9 4 8n e a rK w a j a l e l n( 8 0 5 1 . 4 ’ N ,1 6 7 0 2 0 . 3 ’ E )

28 August 1000

Task U n l ta n dF u n c t l o n

LST-661, a tank landing ship, was a member ofTU 1.2.5 (Landing Craft Unit), LST Group9. Its main function was as a target ship. and it performed various experiments in that role for the Army Ordnance and Engineering units. Poison gases and munition were stored on it for shots ABLE and BAKER,

Ship decommissioned.

Crew Slze: 63 BlklnA l tolA l rrlval: 19 March 1946 B l k l nA l t o lD l eparture: 23 August 1946 Shot ABLE L o c a t l o n : 38 nml ( 7 0 km) NE Shot BAKER L o c a t l o n : 24 nml (44 km) E San F r a n c l s c o D e c o n t a m l n a t l o Ln o c a t l o n : O p e r a t l o n aCl l e a r a n c e : 21 November 194b F l n aCl l e a r a n c e : 2 2 November 1946 Task U n l ta n dF u n c t l o n

Tank landing ship LST-817 was a,member of TU 1.3.1 of Transport Division31. (Transport Unit) as part It and LST-881 were loaded at Pearl Harbor with construction materials. Once the ship arrived at Pearl Harbor. it served as a barracks and storage ship for the Seabees (Reference 5. p. 6-A-20).

Shot ABLE ( 1J u l y ,0 9 0 0 )

1 July 1402 The Salvage Unit reported fighting fires aboard LST-661 and others (Reference 5. p. 6-8-11]. USS Etlah(AN-79)reportedthepyrotech1533 nics on LST-661 were exploding because 6, p. of the fire on board (Reference 7-I-A-12). 1537 DSM directed all ships to stay at least 1,100 yards (1 km) away from LST-661 because of the hazard from the fire and exploding Army ammunitlon (Reference 5. p. 6-B-12). 1545 Reported Geiger sour by the DSM. Etlah reported that the LST-661 fire was 1702 6. pp. 7-I-A-13 belowdeck(Reference and 7-I-A-16). 2026Fireswere still active.Itwas still dangerous to approach due to the possibility of explosions.

Shot ABLE ( 1J u l y 0, 9 0 0 )

30 June

1615

Underway with TU 1.3.1 €or area Marmon.

1 July 1815Anchoredinberth 3 July 1348BeachedonBikiniIsland.

5 July 0733Anchoredinberth39. 1901 Beached at LST landing 11JulyAnchoredinberth

2 July 0852

Etlah

39, Bikini.

reported a boarding team aboard

355

on Bikini.

39, Bikini.