Description of the Atomic, Biological and Chemical training center at Treasure Island Navy Base including the showers necessary to decontaminate the students from the Biological and Chemical Training Center at Treasure Island.
The Evolution of the USS Pandemonium US Navy Medical News Letter, Vol. 29, No. 5 Friday, l March 1957 page 14
The old adage, “Big oaks from little acorns grow, ” was recently demonstrated at the Biological and Chemical Warfare Defense School at Treasure Island, Calif. In July 1955, an old deckhouse served as a mockup for shipboard training in biological and chemical warfare counter-measures. Today, the deckhouse has grown into the USS Pandemonium, a full-scale mockup of a 173 PC.
The Pandemonium has been designed throughout for the teaching of all phases of ABC shipboard defense and recovery techniques. It was constructed from a set of general plans of the PC-1170 and !rom photos of the PC-116.
With the financial aid of the Bureau of Ships, much of the equipment for the mockup was obtained through the wholehearted cooperation of scrap and salvage units at Treasure Island, the San Francisco Naval shipyard, the Naval Supply Center at Oakland, and the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Other equipment was obtained from various activities with the vigorous support of the Equipment and Facilities Section of the Training Division, Bureau of Naval Personnel.
Labor on the ship was provided by all staff members of the school, supplemented by working parties of transient personnel from the Naval Receiving Station at Treasure Island. Practically every metalworking specialist passing through the Receiving Station since construction began has worked a little on the PC.
When completed about February 1957, the ship will have many special features to facilitate teaching all phases of ABC warfare counter-measures. Drill spaces will include a classroom area, a large shower space, and a storage area. The Bureau of Medicine and Surgery will furnish funds for outfitting laboratories aboard the ship for training medical officers in biological warfare identification techniques. The school staff will complete installation of fire mains, a water washdown system provided by the Bureau of Ships, temporary electrical system, and sound-powered phone circuits. Throughout the whole construction, program drills have been conducted on the ship.
“Cumshaw” deals, scrap, and salvage materials, plus the support of numerous naval activities, have turned the little acorn into a full scale mockup for realistic ABC training.
(Naval Training Bulletin, December 1956) Google books
HathiTrust: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112119813332?urlappend=%3Bseq=325
My article on the Naval Training Bulletin December 1956
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