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Figure 20. Drone boat being washed down before radioactive water samples were removed, CROSSROADS.

On 7 March 1946, 167 Bikinians embarked aboard USS LST-1108 and were taken to Rongerik Atoll. At the same time the Navy 53rd Construction Battalion began arriving to build the various phototowers, instrumentation sites, workshops, and recreation facilities on the islands of the atoll. One hundred tons of dynamite were used to clear coral heads in the lagoon. Five naval mines were discovered and disposed of during March.

Movement of participating ships from eastern U.S. shipyards and ports toward Bikini also began in March. Movement from closer ports began later, and by mid-May there were over 100 CROSSROADS-bound ships stopping over in Pearl Harbor on their way to Bikini. Interior spaces of some support ships were modified as laboratories or machine shops, and USS Burleson (APA-67) was being converted to a "great dirtless farm" (Reference A.1), a living place for the experimental animals that were used during CROSSROADS.

The target ships also required special preparation. For Test ABLE, 93 target vessels were assembled. For Test BAKER, 92 target vessels were arrayed. The target fleet was led by older U.S. capital ships like the famous USS Saratoga (CV-3) and the old battleships USS Nevada (BB-36), USS Pennsylvania (BB-38), and USS New York (BB-34). The German battle cruiser Prinz Eugen and two major captured Japanese ships, the battleship Nagato and the cruiser Sakawa, were also targets. All target vessels were accurately moored and made ready for the

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