complexes at naval bases and stations all over the world.
America, and especially in Southeast Asia kept the
During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, Seabees
Seabees strong and active.
hastily erected and helped man a strong defensive
Just before the outbreak of the Korean War, a basic
perimeter of fortifications at Guantanamo Bay.
reorganization was substantially completed. Two
Disaster relief became more than just another
distinct types of battalions were established to gain
mission. When the island of Guam was devastated by
specialization and mobility. The amphibious
Typhoon Karen in 1962, Seabees restored power and
construction battalions (PHIBCBs) are landing and
rebuilt damaged structures. Another team of Seabees
docking units. The PHIBCBs have the mission of
planning causeways, constructing pontoon docks, and
helped the Chilean Navy repair the earthquake-damaged
performing other functions necessary for landing
waterfront of their principal shipyard. Later in 1964,
personnel and equipment in the shortest possible time.
Seabees were on the scene restoring utilities and
rebuilding roads in a matter of hours after Alaska was
The naval mobile construction battalions (NMCBs) are
responsible for land construction of a wide variety that
stricken by a devastating earthquake and tidal wave.
includes military camps, roads, bridges, tank farms,
airstrips, and docking facilities.
SEABEES IN VIETNAM
BETWEEN KOREA AND VIETNAM
In South Vietnam, the Seabees built and fought and
established a new reputation for their deeds of
After the Korean War, the Seabees' efforts were
construction while under fire. From the Demilitarized
directed toward more building and less fighting. Their
Zone (DMZ) in the north to the delta region in the south,
peacetime achievements were no less impressive than
they supported combat operations and sometimes
fought side-by-side with the United States Marines and
their wartime achievements. In Okinawa, for example,
the Seabees built a Marine Corps air facility using
Army troops in guerrilla-infested areas.
concrete precasting methods that drew the admiration of
The first full Seabee battalion arrived in Vietnam on
contractors throughout the Pacific area. At Holy Lock,
7 May 1965 to build an expeditionary airfield for the
Scotland, Seabees assembled a floating dry dock for the
Marines at Chu Lai. Others soon followed. From 1965
Polaris submarine facility. In far off Antarctica, a group
until 1969, the Seabee commitment in Southeast Asia
of Seabees earned a round of tributes for their
rapidly increased. This necessitated, first, the transfer of
installation of the first nuclear reactor power plant at
Atlantic Fleet battalions to the Pacific through a change
McMurdo Station, despite weather conditions that are
of home port; then, the deployment to the Republic of
laughingly called "summer" in the forbidding region.
Vietnam (RVN) of Atlantic Fleet NMCBs; and later the
Elsewhere, while Ecuadorians were building a new
reactivation of nine additional battalions. This was
naval academy, a small detachment of Seabees
culminated by the call to active duty of two Reserve
supervised and instructed them in modem construction
NMCBs in May of 1968, bringing to 21 the number of
methods.
battalions deploying to RVN. In addition, there were two
By far the largest and most impressive peacetime
amphibious construction battalions lending support to
project was the construction of Cubi Point Naval Air
the RVN effort. In the same time period, a requirement
Station in the Philippines, the largest single construction
for Seabees to support in-country activities, such as
job ever tackled by the Seabees. At Cubi, Seabees cut a
naval support activities at Da Nang and Saigon, two
mountain in half to make way for the nearly 2-mile-long
construction battalion maintenance units, two deployed
runway, blasted coral, and filled in a section of Subic
naval construction regiments, and the deployed Third
Bay that is almost a mile wide and nearly 2 miles long.
Naval Construction Brigade rapidly increased. To
The Seabees took nearly 5 years and 20 million
support these various requirements, the total Seabee
man-hours to construct the air station and its adjacent
community grew from 9,400 in mid-1965; to 14,000 in
aircraft carrier pier that is capable of docking the Navy's
mid-1966; to 20,000 in mid-1967; to more than 29,000
biggest aircraft carriers. The amount of coral and fill
in 1968 and 1969.
required for the job-some 20 million cubic yardswas
Seabee accomplishments in Vietnam were
equal to the task of building the Panama Canal.
impressive, just as they were in World War II, Korea,
During this period, Seabees could be found
and during peacetime. All 21 active battalions deployed
everywhere. They participated in building missile
to Vietnamsome several times-to build the roads,
ranges both in the Atlantic and the Pacific and housing
airfields, cantonments, warehouses, hospitals, storage
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