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ASSEMBLY LINE, PEARL HAR- 

 BOR. Ships of the Task Force 



assemble at Pearl Harbor en 

 route to Bikini. Ship prepara- 

 tions for the Operation were 

 made at various Navy Yards, 

 including Philadelphia, Terminal 

 Island, San Francisco, Mare Is- 

 land, Bremerton, and Pearl. As 

 means for measuring various 

 overall effects of the atomic 

 bomb the target vessels were 

 themselves instruments on a 

 grand scale, and of crucial im- 

 portance. It was therefore ne- 

 cessary to place ship equipment 

 and machinery in good working 

 order, so that injury produced 

 by the explosions could be accu- 

 rately determined. Power plants, 

 machinery, guns, turrets and 

 other equipment were placed in 

 the best condition possible, and 

 the watertightness of compart- 

 ments tested and improved. 

 Army trucks and tanks were 

 hoisted aboard and made fast. 

 Sturdy brackets and pedestals 

 were installed to support the 

 thousands of instruments to be 

 mounted when the ships reached 

 Bikini. For some installations 

 special electric wiring was ne- 

 cessary. 



