|
This article is about the Seabee naval unit. For the Seabee aircraft, see Republic RC-3 Seabee. The Seabees are the Construction Battalions of the United States Navy. The Seabees have a history of building bases, bulldozing and paving thousands of miles of roadway and airstrips, and accomplishing myriad other construction projects in a wide variety of military theatres dating back to World War II. // Republic RC-3 Seabee Designed as a fun, inexpensive all-metal amphibious aircraft, the Republic RC-3 Seabee is a unique example of early post-war civilian aircraft. ...
Image File history File links Seabees. ...
Image File history File links Seabees. ...
USN redirects here. ...
Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
The name "seabee" is a backronym of the pronunciation of CB, the abbreviation for Construction Battalions. Incidentally, bees are known for their hive construction skills. A backronym (or bacronym) is a phrase that is constructed after the fact from a previously existing abbreviation, the abbreviation being an initialism or an acronym. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
For other uses, see Western honey bee and Bee (disambiguation). ...
Mottos The official motto of the Seabees is "Construimus, Battuimus" – translated into English as "We Build, We Fight."
The Seabees have several unofficial mottos as well. Their best known unofficial motto is the simple phrase "Can Do!", featured on much of their promotional material.
Other unofficial mottos include:
- "With compassion for others, we build, we fight, for peace with freedom."
- "With willing hearts and skillful hands, the difficult we do at once, the impossible takes a bit longer, miracles by appointment only."
- "First we dig 'em, then we die in 'em"
- "We will either find a way or make one."
History
World War II
 Naval Mobile Construction Battalion One (NMCB-1), 2006 In December 1941, with U.S. involvement in war soon expected on both oceans, Rear Admiral Ben Moreell, Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks, recommended establishing Naval Construction Battalions (from which the abbreviation C.B. became Seabees). With the attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entrance into the war, he was given the go-ahead. The earliest Seabees were recruited from the civilian construction trades and were placed under the leadership of the Navy's Civil Engineer Corps. Because of the emphasis on experience and skill rather than physical standards, the average age of Seabees during the early days of the war was 37. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (968x1505, 241 KB) Poster encouraging skilled laborers to join the Seabees as part of the war effort. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (968x1505, 241 KB) Poster encouraging skilled laborers to join the Seabees as part of the war effort. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2100x1396, 1036 KB) 060203-N-3879H-001 Gulfport, Mississippi. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2100x1396, 1036 KB) 060203-N-3879H-001 Gulfport, Mississippi. ...
For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ...
Admiral Ben Moreell (September 19, 1892 - July 30, 1978) was the chief of the US Navys Bureau of Yards and Docks and of the Civil Engineer Corps. ...
The Bureau of Yards and Docks was the branch of the United States Navy responsible from 1842 to 1966 for responsible for building and maintaining navy yards, drydocks, and other facilities relating to ship construction, maintenance, and repair. ...
More than 325,000 men served with the Seabees in World War II, fighting and building on six continents and more than 300 islands. In the Pacific, where most of the construction work was needed, the Seabees landed soon after the Marines and built major airstrips, bridges, roads, gasoline storage tanks, and Quonset huts for warehouses, hospitals, and housing. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ...
A typical Quonset hut A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated steel having a semicircular cross section. ...
The Seabees were officially organized in the Naval Reserve on December 31, 1947.
With the general demobilization following the war, the Construction Battalions were reduced to 3,300 men on active duty by 1950. Between 1949 and 1953, Naval Construction Battalions were organized into two types of units: Amphibious Construction Battalions (ACBs) and Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (MCBs).
Korean War The Korean War saw a call-up of more than 10,000 men. The expansion of the Seabees came from the Naval Reserve Seabee program where individuals volunteered for active duty. The Seabees landed at Inchon with the assault troops. They fought enormous tides as well as enemy fire and provided causeways within hours of the initial landings. Their action here and at other landings emphasized the role of the Seabees and there was no Seabee demobilization when the truce was declared. Combatants United Nations: Republic of Korea, Australia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Colombia, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States Medical staff: Denmark, Australia, Italy, Norway, Sweden Communist states: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Peoples Republic of China, Soviet Union Commanders...
Combatants United Nations North Korea Commanders Douglas MacArthur Arthur Dewey Struble Chesty Puller Kim Il-sung Choi Yong-Kun The Battle of Inchon (Korean spelling: Incheon) (Korean: Incheon Sangryuk Jakjeon; code name: Operation Chromite) was a decisive invasion and battle during the Korean War. ...
Following Korea, the Seabees embarked on a new mission. From providing much needed assistance in the wake of a devastating earthquake in Greece in 1953 to providing construction work and training to underdeveloped countries, the Seabees became "The Navy's Goodwill Ambassadors." Seabees built or improved many roads, orphanages and public utilities in many remote parts of the world. This article is about the Korean peninsula and civilization. ...
Vietnam War Seabees were deployed to Vietnam throughout the conflict beginning in small numbers in June 1954 and extending to November 1972. By 1962 they began building camps for Special Forces. In June 1965, Construction Mechanic 3rd Class Marvin G. Shields, part of Seabee Team 1104, was actively engaged at the Battle of Dong Xoai and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions there. Shields remains the only Seabee ever to be awarded the Medal of Honor. These "Civic Action Teams" continued into the Vietnam War where Seabees, often fending off enemy forces alongside their Marine and Army counterparts, also built schools and infrastructure and provided health care service. Beginning in 1965 full Seabee battalions (MCBs) and Naval Construction Regiments (NCRs) along with other unit types were deployed throughout Vietnam. Seabees from the Naval Reserve provided individual personnel early on to augment regular units such as battalions and regiments. Marvin Glenn Shields,(30 December 1939–10 June 1965) was the first Seabee to receive the Medal of Honor. ...
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ...
Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000...
After Vietnam, the Seabees built and repaired Navy bases in Puerto Rico, Japan, Guam, Greece, Sicily, and Spain. Their civic action projects focused on the Trust Territories of the Pacific. Sicily ( in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ...
In 1971, the Seabees began their largest peacetime construction on Diego Garcia, a small atoll in the Indian Ocean. This project took 11 years and cost $200 million. The complex accommodates the Navy's largest ships and the biggest military cargo jets. This base proved invaluable when Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990 and Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm were launched. Diego Garcia ( ) is an atoll located in the heart of the Indian Ocean, some 1,000 miles (1,600 km) south of Indias southern coast. ...
See also: 2003 invasion of Iraq and Gulf War (disambiguation) C Company, 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, 1st UK Armoured Division The Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States. ...
See also: 2003 invasion of Iraq and Gulf War (disambiguation) C Company, 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, 1st UK Armoured Division The Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States. ...
Gulf War During the Gulf War, more than 5,000 Seabees (4,000 active and 1,000 reservists) served in the Middle East. Other units, including mobilized reserve units under the command of Lientenant Bleu M. Pride served in other locations to backfill for those deployed forward. In Saudi Arabia, Seabees built 10 camps for more than 42,000 personnel; 14 galleys capable of feeding 75,000 people; and 6 million ft² (600,000 m²) of aircraft parking apron. For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ...
A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...
Iraq and Afghanistan Wars Seabees continue to provide critical construction skills in connection with the effort to rebuild the infrastructure of both Iraq and Afghanistan. All Active and Reserve Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (NMCBs) and Naval Construction Regiments (NCRs) have deployed to Iraq.
Training The newcomers begin “A” School (preliminary training) fresh out of boot camp, or they come from the fleet after their service term is met, spending about 75 percent of the twelve weeks immersed in hands-on training. The remaining 25 percent is spent in classroom instruction. From “A” School, new Seabees most often report to a battalion command for their first tour of duty. For two weeks, the new Seabees go through Seabee Replacement Training (or SERT), or ECS which is a four week long SERT. SERT is a basic combat skills course where the students will spend one week in a classroom environment learning map reading and land navigation, how to lay out defensive plans, conduct patrols and many other combat related skills. The second week is spent at a rifle range where students will learn basic rifle marksmanship and then qualify with the M16 service rifle. At the end of those two weeks, new Seabees are ready to perform with their new battalion. About one third of new Seabees are assigned to Public Works Departments at Naval installations both stateside and overseas. While stationed at a Public Works Department, a Seabee will have the opportunity to get specialized training and extensive experience in one or more facets of their rating. Boot Camp is a software assistant made available by Apple Inc. ...
A rifle range is an area specially constructed for target rifle shooting. ...
For other uses, see Rifle (disambiguation). ...
M16 (more formally United States Rifle, Caliber 5. ...
Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in NATO military graphic symbols This article is about the military unit. ...
Miscellaneous There are seven military occupational specialties broken down into three groups or companys in the Seabees. In the Equipment group (A Company), there are Construction Mechanics and Equipment Operators. In the Utilities group (B Company) there are Utilitiesmen (plumbers/HVAC) and Construction Electricians. In the Structural group (C Company) there are Steelworkers, and Builders. Engineering Aides stay in Headquarters company with the fleet rates
The military qualification badge for the Seabees is known as the Seabee Combat Warfare Badge (SCW). It is issued to both officers and enlisted personnel and recognizes those who have been fully trained and qualified as a member of the various Naval Construction Force (NCF) units. Only members attached to a qualifying NCF unit are eligible for the SCW pin. The qualifying units include: Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (NMCB), Amphibious Construction Battalions (ACB), Construction Battalion Maintenance Units (CBMU), Naval Construction Force Support Units (NCFSU), and Underwater Construction Teams (UCT). Officer and Enlisted versions of the Seabee Combat Warfare Pin The Seabee Combat Warfare Pin is a military badge of the United States Navy which was first created in the 1960s. ...
As opposed to the title of Seaman given to the ranks of E-1 through E-3 in the regular Navy, Seabees are referred to as Constructionmen, and wear sky blue stripes. This article is about a military rank. ...
In telecommunications, T-carrier is the generic designator for any of several digitally multiplexed telecommunications carrier systems originally developed by Bell Labs and used in North America and Japan. ...
The E-3 Sentry is an airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft that provides all-weather surveillance, command, control and communications needed by commanders of U.S., NATO and other allied air defense forces. ...
There are also three special Navy Units that are primarily Seabee Units: Mobile Utilities Support Equipment (MUSE) units deploy worldwide to provide power, water purification and technical support at moments notice for military and humanitarian missions. Naval Support Unit State Department where Seabees work, rehab and maintain security areas at US Embassies and Consulates overseas and Presidential Support Duty which is located at Camp David. While assigned to the State Department, a Seabee reports to a Department of State Security Engineering Officer or directly to a Department of State Regional Security Officer, who both work for the Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Along with the Marine Security Guard (MSG) program, this is a rare example of an active duty uniformed member of the U.S. armed forces who is operationally controlled through a civilian, albeit law enforcement, head. The West Wing, see NSF Thurmont (The West Wing). ...
Regional Security Officer is the title given to DS Special Agents serving overseas as the head of security at an American Embassy. ...
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security, more commonly known as Diplomatic Security, or DS, includes the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), DSs most high profile branch. ...
A Marine Security Guard also known as a MSG or a Marine Embassy Guard is a U.S. Marine posted at an American Embassy for security purposes. ...
There are currently around 17,000 Seabees, active and reserve, serving in the U.S. Navy. The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ...
In popular culture
 The Fighting Seabee Statue at Quonset Point The Fighting Seabees (1944), starring John Wayne, is a fictionalized portrayal of the beginning of the Seabees. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3076 × 2306 pixel, file size: 1. ...
Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3076 × 2306 pixel, file size: 1. ...
The Fighting Seabees is a 1944 film starring John Wayne and Susan Hayward. ...
Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
For other persons named John Wayne, see John Wayne (disambiguation). ...
Seabees feature prominently in the musical South Pacific. The Black Crook (1866) is considered the first musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and dance. ...
This article is about the stage musical. ...
Literal "seabees" (similar to the bee depicted on the badge) appear in the computer game Grim Fandango. Grim Fandango is a graphical adventure computer game released by LucasArts in 1998. ...
Ward Cleaver, the fictional father from Leave It To Beaver was a Seabee. For other uses, see Leave It to Beaver (disambiguation). ...
Al Borland, the fictional sidekick of Tim Taylor on "Home Improvement" was a Seabee-in Nevada! This article is about the television series. ...
Trivia Frank J. Iafrate, as a civilian plan file clerk at Naval Air Station, Quonset Point, R. I., was the originator and artist who designed the original Seabee logo ("Fighting 'Bee") in early 1942.
The U. S. Navy Seabee Museum is located at Construction Battalion Center, Port Hueneme, California. A museum also exists at Naval Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport, Mississippi. In the late 1990s, a group of former Seabees opened the Seabee Museum and Memorial Park in Davisville, Rhode Island, the original home of the Seabees. The Fighting Seabee Statue is located here. Davisville, Rhode Island was the former home of the U.S. Navy SeaBees. ...
See also
The U.S. Navy asked Walt Disney to create an unofficial Seabee. Walt Disney agreed with one condition, that the he be allowed to use the Seabee in one cartoon with Micky Mouse. This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...
Amphibious Construction Battalion One is one of only two amphibious construction battalions in the Navy. ...
There are only thirteen NMCBs in the U.S. Navy. ...
References - Huie, William Bradford (1997). Can Do!: The Story of the Seabees (Bluejacket Books Series). Naval Institute Press. (Original text: chinfo.navy.mil)
William Bradford Bill Huie (November 13, 1910 – November 20, 1986) was an American journalist, editor, publisher, television interviewer, screenwriter, lecturer, and novelist. ...
External links |
Feeds |
Contact