Page:Operation Crossroads 1946.pdf/393

 USS Pollux ( A K S - 4 )

USS Phaon ( A R B - 3 )

28 August 1200RadsafeShipsClearanceBoardinspected evaporators.Evaporatorsradiologically be clear for sailing but were not to opened without presence of a monitor.

1704 1 August

3 September Left Kwajalein for Pearl Harbor. 12 September Arrived at Pearl Harbor. USS PILOTFISH(SS-386)

Coucal sent divers to test Pilotfish for radioactivity (Reference 6. p. VII-I-52B ). Efforts to raise boat unsuccessful. Ceased effortst o raise Pilotfish. Radioactivlty on bottom of the still submerged Pilotfish was reported as 35 to 45 R/24 hours; on deck at 120-foot (37meter) depth 45 R/24 hours; at 4 feet (1.2 meters) above deck. 2 R/24 hours.

9 August 0900

Crew S l z e5:2 B l k l nA l t o lA l r r l v a l 2: 2 Hay 1946 Crew L o c a t l o nf o S r hot ABLE: USS B o t t l n e a u( A P A - 2 3 5 ) Crew L o c a t l o nf o Sr h o t BAKER: B o t t l n e a u Shot ABLE L o c a t l o n 2:, 5 0 6y a r d s( 2 . 3 km) NE Shot BAKER L o c a t l o n2: 6 y0 a r d (s2 3 m 8 eters) €NE Sunk 25 J u l y1 9 4 6 B, lklnL l agoon

Officers and personnel transferred to remanned target shipUSS Fillmore (APA-83).

13 August Preparations made for diving operations.

16 August Salvage operations continued. Boat listed 30 to 40 degrees to starboard, and the superstructure aft of frame 100 appeared to be displaced about 1 inch (2.54-cm) to starboard. The deck was covered with silt (in some places 18 inches [46 cm] deep) and isolated chunks of coral.

T a s kU n l ta n dF u n c t l o n

The submarine Pilotfish was amember of TU 1.2.4 (Submarine Unit). Submarine Division 112. It was a target vessel during CROSSROADS. Its crew was evacuated before each shot. Pressure-time record- 21AugustPilotfishdeclaredlostasaresultof ers and radiation intensity films were placed BAKER. aboard the boat. An underwater survey was made of Pilotfish during the Bikini resurvey in July 1947. Shot ABLE ( 1J u l y 0, 9 0 0 ) 30 June 0945 Crew evacuated. 1 July 1549

USS POLLUX (AKS-4)

Crew S l z e : 154 BlklnA l tolA l rrlval: 20 Hay 1946 B l k l nAl t o lDl e p a r t u r e : 19 August 1946 Shot ABLE L o c a t l o n2: 2 nml ( 4 1 km) SE Shot BAKER L o c a t l o n1: 1 nml ( 2 0 km) ESE D e c o n t a m l n a t l oLno c a t l o nP: u g e t Sound O p e r a t l o n aCl l e a r a n c e2:9 November 1946 F l n aCl l e a r a n c e : 25 January 1947

Etlah (AN-79) placed a boarding team on Pilotfish. 1608 Etlah reported its boarding team aboard. clearingPilotfish.Pilotfishreported Geigersweet(Reference 6. p.VII-I13-A). 1730 DSM declared Pilotfish radiologically clear for boarding (Reference 6. p. VIII-13-B). USS

T a s kU n l ta n dF u n c t l o n

Pollux, a stores issue ship, was a member of TU 1.8.1 (Repair and Service Unit).

2 July 1145Damagecontrolpartiesboarded. 1410Materialinspectioncompleted.

3

served July

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

There was no damage of consequence to Pilotfish from ABLE (Reference 2). It appears the crew returned to byPilotfish

1 July 1800

Entered Bikini Lagoon.

3 1515 ShiEted berths. moored alongside (AS-1 ton 1)

.

USS

Ful1043 Underway to shift berths. 131A. berth Anchored 1124 in 20 July

Shot B A K E R ( 2 5 J u l y, 0835)

1102TargetvesselLCT-1187mooredalongside. 1840 LCT-1187 departed.

24 July 0645 Crew evacuated. 0900Pilotfishwassubmerged. 25 28 July 0954

Shot BAKER ( 2 5J u l y ,0 8 3 5 )

USS Coucal (ASR-8) reported find jalein. able to only two buoys from Pilotfish. (Reference July 6 . p . VII-I-28-B). 26

0833AnchoredatKwajalein. Pressure-time recorders aril radiation intensity films 4 August were recovered from Pilotfish (Reference 6. p. VII-I83-8). Efforts to raise boat unsuccessful.

388

1537EnroutetoBikini.