Seabee
29484
224835931
2008-07-10T17:07:20Z
Jaredellis
1485733
{{otheruses4|the Seabee naval unit|the Seabee aircraft|Republic RC-3 Seabee}}
[[Image:Seabees.png|right|thumb|200px|The Seabee logo]]
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]].
== 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."
*"We can build anything with nothing in no time at all."
*"First we dig 'em, then we die in 'em"
*"We will either find a way or make one."
*"We build, we fight, we party all night."
* The "Song of the Seabees" was written in 1943. The lyrics were composed by [[Sam M. Lewis]] and the musical composition was written by [[Peter DeRose]]. It is as follows:
We're the Seabees of the Navy,
We can build and we can fight,
We'll pave the way to victory
And guard it day and night
And we promise that we remember
The [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|"Seventh of December"]]
We're the Seabees of the Navy,
Bees of the Seven Seas
The Navy wanted men,
That's where we came in,
Mister Brown and Mister Jones,
The Owens, the Cohens and Flynn,
The Navy wanted more
Of Uncle Sammy's kin
So we all joined up
And brother we're in to win
(Unofficial third verse)
We're the Seabees of the Navy,
The "Can Do" Bees in green,
In war or peace you'll find us
ready on the scene.
And no matter what our mission
we'll uphold our proud tradition
We're the Seabees of the Navy,
Bees of the Seven Seas.
*The first verse of the song, however, is usually the only verse to be sung or played at official functions.
==History==
===World War II===
[[Image:Build for your Navy.jpg|thumb|250px|WWII recruitment poster]]
[[Image:Battalion march.jpg|thumb|250px|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 at a newly constructed base at Davisville, R.I. (now part of North Kingstown). 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.
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 [[USMC|Marines]] and built major airstrips, bridges, roads, gasoline storage tanks, and [[Quonset hut]]s for warehouses, hospitals, and housing.
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 (NACBs) and Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (NMCBs).
===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 [[battle of Inchon|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.
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.
===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.
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.
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.
===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 construction units under the command of Lt.Cdr. Bleu M. Pride served 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 and runways as well as 200+ Helo landing zones.
===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.
== Organization ==
=== 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 an NMCB 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 rifle|M16]] service rifle. At the end of those two weeks, new Seabees are ready to perform with their new [[battalion]]. During their tenure with an NMCB, personnel may be assigned to a crew-served weapon, such as the [[Mk 19]] 40mm grenade launcher, the [[M2HB]] .50-caliber machine gun, or the [[M240]] machine gun.
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.
=== Ratings ===
There are seven source ratings for the Seabee community:<ref name="HIST>{{cite web
| title = Navy enlisted manpower and personnel classifications
| work = Bureau of Naval Personnel
| publisher = [[US Navy]]
| url =http://buperscd.technology.navy.mil/bup_updt/508/OccStandards/OccStd_Menu.htm
| accessdate = 2007-01-11 }}</ref>
* [[Construction Mechanic (US Navy)|Construction Mechanics]] (CM) maintain and repair the construction machinery used by the Seabees, such as power tools and heavy equipment.
* [[Equipment Operator (US Navy)|Equipment Operators]] (EO) operate heavy construction equipment and coordinate rigging operations.
* [[Utilitiesman (US Navy)|Utilitiesmen]] (UT) install, maintain, and operate mechanical a building's mechanical and fluid systems.
* [[Construction Electrician (US Navy)|Construction Electricians]] (CE) install a building's electrical distribution and emergency power systems.
* [[Builder (US Navy)|Builders]] (BU) are responsible for general construction, including carpentry, concrete, masonry, and finish work.
* [[Steel Worker (US Navy)|Steel Workers]] (SW) are responsible for erecting structural steel and reinforcing steel in concrete construction.
*[[Engineering Aide (US Navy)|Engineering Aides]] (EA) are responsible for construction surveying, drafting, and project estimation.
At the Master Chief Petty Officer level, each of the ratings merge with at least one other ratings.
* Construction Mechanics and Equipment Operators become Equipmentman Master Chiefs (EQCM).
* Construction Electricians merge into the Utilitiesman rating, although the rating's abbreviation is changed to UCCM.
* Builders, Steel Workers, and Engineering Aides become Constructionmen Master Chiefs (CUCM).
==Miscellany==
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:SeabeePin.jpg|thumb|225px|right|Officer and Enlisted versions of the Seabee Combat Warfare Pin]] -->
*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).
*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 on their dress and service uniforms.
*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.
*There are currently around 17,000 Seabees, active and reserve, serving in the [[U.S. Navy]].
*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. There are also U. S. Navy Seabee Museums at the Construction Battalion Center, Port Hueneme, California and at Naval Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport, Mississippi.
*Navy diver [[Robert Stethem]] was murdered by the radical [[Muslim]] terrorist organization known as [[Hezbollah]] when they hijacked [[TWA Flight 847]] in 1985. Stethem was a Steel Worker Second Class (SW2), a Seabee diver and member of Underwater Construction Team ONE. The [[USS Stethem (DDG-63)]] is named in his honor. Fittingly, the vessels's nickname is "The Steel Worker." The sailors stationed aboard the ship commonly and proudly refer to themselves as "Steel Workers" also.
* Seabees say "[[Oorah]]!" as a war-cry or spirited shout as a sign of motivation. "Oorah" is taken from the Seabee's close association with the [[U.S. Marine Corps]], where the term originated. It is also said as a way to say something is understood or to aknowledge that you will carry out an order, similar to the way "Aye, aye" is said in the fleet Navy. It is comparable the [[U.S. Army's]] "[[Hooah]]" and [[U.S. Navy SEALs|Navy SEAL's]] "[[Hooyah]]".
=== Logo ===
Frank J. Iafrate, 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. In late 1942, after desigining the logo, he enlisted in the Seabees.<ref name="museumbee">[http://www.seabeesmuseum.com/FightingBee.html The Fighting Bee]</ref>
During World War II, artists working for Walt Disney created over a thousand military insignia, which were used as "nose art" for bombers and as unit logos. Disney artists designed logos for about ten Naval Construction units, including the 60th Naval (Canal) Construction Battalion<ref>[http://toonsatwar.blogspot.com/2006/09/60th-seabee-insignia.html Toons at War]</ref> and the 133rd Naval Construction Battalion<ref>[http://toonsatwar.blogspot.com/2007/05/133rd-naval-construction-battalion.html Toons at War]</ref> in 1943.
===In popular culture===
[[Image:Fighting seabee statue.jpg|thumb|250px|The Fighting Seabee Statue at Quonset Point]]
*''[[The Fighting Seabees]]'' ([[1944]]), starring [[John Wayne]], is a fictionalized portrayal of the beginning of the Seabees.
*Seabees feature prominently in the [[musical theatre|musical]] ''[[South Pacific (musical)|South Pacific]]''.
*Ward Cleaver, the fictional father from ''[[Leave It To Beaver]]'', was a Seabee.
*[[Al Borland]], the fictional sidekick of [[Tim Taylor]] on ''[[Home Improvement]]'' was a Seabee and stationed in [[Nevada]]. Borland was portrayed by actor [[Richard Karn]]. Coincidentally, Karn's father, Gene, was a Seabee in real life and served in [[World War II]].
*Literal "seabees" (similar to the bee depicted on the badge) appear in the computer game ''[[Grim Fandango]]''.
*[[Tom Cruise]], portraying "Maverick" in the 1986 movie [[Top Gun]], had a Seabee patch on the left front breast area of his flight jacket.
== See also ==
* [[Seabees in World War II]]
* [[Amphibious Construction Battalion One]]
* [[NMCB]]
* [[United States Navy Seabees Bridge]] - bridge named for Seabees
== References ==
{{reflist}}
*[[William Bradford Huie|Huie, William Bradford]] (1997). Can Do!: The Story of the Seabees (Bluejacket Books Series). Naval Institute Press. <small>(''Original text: [http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/factfile/personnel/seabees/seabee1.html chinfo.navy.mil])''</small>
==External links==
*[http://www.seabee.navy.mil/ Official Website] Requires Password and Login to access.
*[http://www.seabeecook.com/history/ Seabees During World War II]
*[http://www.navy.com/about/navylife/onduty/seabees/training/ Navy.com]
*[http://www.seabeesmuseum.com/ Seabee Museum & Memorial Park in Davisville, RI]
{{US Navy navbox}}
[[Category:United States Navy]]
[[Category:Seabees| ]]
[[de:SeaBee]]
[[es:Seabee]]
[[fr:Seabee]]
[[ja:シービー]]