Seabee A Seabee is a member of the United States Navy Construction Battalion ( CB ) . The word " Seabee " comes from initials " CB " . The Seabees have a history of building bases , bulldozing and paving thousands of miles of roadway and airstrip s , and accomplishing a myriad of other construction projects in a wide variety of military theater s dating back to World War II . History . World War II . In December 1941 , with U . S . involvement in war soon expected on both the Pacific and Atlantic 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 , Rhode Island ( 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 Davisville Advanced Base Depot became operational in June , 1942 . Camp Thomas , a personnel - receiving station on the base , was established in October of that year . It eventually contained 500 Quonset hut s for personnel . On August 11 , 1942 , the Naval Construction Training Center , known as Camp Endicott , was commissioned at Davisville . The Camp trained over 100 , 000 Seabees during the Second World War . In California in May 1942 , a base for supporting the Naval Construction Force was established at Port Hueneme in Ventura County . This base became responsible for shipping massive amounts of equipment and material to the efforts in the Pacific . 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 WWII 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 Marines and built major airstrips , bridges , roads , gasoline storage tanks , and Quonset hut s for warehouses , hospitals , and housing . They often operated under fire and frequently were forced to take part in the fighting to defend themselves and their construction projects . In the Pacific Theater they built 111 major airstrips and 441 piers , tanks for the storage of 100m gallons of fuel , housing for 1 . 5m men and hospitals for 70 , 000 patients . The Seabees were officially organized in the Naval Reserve on December 31 , 1947 . With the general demobilization following the war , the Naval Construction Battalions ( NCBs ) 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 Mobile Construction Battalions ( MCBs ) . Mobile Construction Battalions ( MCBs ) were later designated Naval Mobile Construction Battalions ( NMCBs ) in the early - to mid - 1960s to eliminate confusion with Marine Corps Base ( MCB ) in Vietnam . 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 . During the Korean War , the Navy realized they needed a naval air station in this region . Cubi Point in the Philippines was selected , and civilian contractors were initially selected for the project . After seeing the forbidding Zambales Mountains and the maze of jungle , they claimed it could not be done . The Navy then turned to the Seabees . The first Seabees to arrive were MCB - 3 on October 2 , 1951 ; followed by MCB - 5 on November 5 , 1951 . Over the next five years , MCB - 2 , - 7 , - 9 , - 11 and - 13 were also deployed to Cubi Point . Seabees cut a mountain in half to make way for a nearly two - mile - long runway . Cubi Point turned out to be one of the largest earth - moving projects in the world , equivalent to the construction of the Panama Canal . The $ 100 million facility was commissioned on July 25 , 1956 , and comprised an air station and an adjacent pier that was capable of docking the Navy ' s largest carriers . 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 . Antarctica . Beginning in 1955 , Seabees began deploying yearly to the continent of Antarctica . As participants in Operation Deep Freeze , their mission was to build and expand scientific bases located on the frozen continent . The first " wintering over " party included 200 Seabees who distinguished themselves by constructing a 6 , 000 - foot ice runway on McMurdo Sound . Despite a blizzard that once destroyed the entire project , the airstrip was completed in time for the advance party of Deep Freeze II to become the first to arrive at the South Pole by plane . Over the following years and under adverse conditions , Seabees added to their list of accomplishments such things as snow - compacted roads , underground storage , laboratories , and living areas . One of the most notable achievements took place in 1962 , when the Navy ' s builders constructed Antarctica ' s first nuclear power plant , at McMurdo Station . During the Cold War , the Seabees undertook a number of other missions , including constructing the Distant Early Warning Line in the Arctic . Again operating often under extreme conditions , the Seabees successfully completed every mission assigned to them . 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 and two battalions , MCB 12 and MCB 22 . In Vietnam , the Seabees supported the Marines and built a staggering number of aircraft - support facilities , roads , and bridges ; they also paved roads that provided access to farms and markets , supplied fresh water to countless numbers of Vietnamese through hundreds of Seabee - dug wells , provided medical treatment to thousands of villagers , and built schools , hospitals , utilities systems , roads and other community facilities . Seabees also worked with and taught construction skills to the Vietnamese people . 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 . From the Cold War to terrorism . As the Cold War cooled off , new challenges were presented by the increased incidence of terrorism . Also there were ongoing support missions to Diego Garcia , Guam , Okinawa , Navy and Marine Bases in Japan , the Philippines , Puerto Rico , Guantanamo Bay , Guatemala , the Naval Support Facility for Polaris and Poseidon Submarines in Holy Loch Scotland , Rota Spain , Naples Italy and Suda Bay Crete . Seabee construction efforts led to the expansion and improvement of Naval Air Facility , Sigonella Sicily , turning this into a major base for the Navy ’ s Sixth Fleet aviation activities . There were combat roles as well . In 1983 , a truck bomb demolished the barracks the Marines had secured in Beirut , Lebanon . After moving to the Beirut International Airport and setting up quarters there , Druse militia artillery began harassing the Marines . After consultations with the theater commander and Marine amphibious command and combat engineers , the forward deployed battalion , NMCB - 1 in Rota Spain sent in a 70 man AirDet working party with heavy equipment . Construction of artillery resistant quarters went on from December 1983 until the Marines ’ withdrawal in February 1984 . Only one casualty occurred when an Equipment Operator using a bulldozer to clear fields of fire was wounded by an RPG attack . The Seabee , EO2 Kirt May was awarded the first Purple Heart awarded a Seabee since Vietnam . The Seabees were proud that the Marines had greatly improved protection from ongoing artillery harassment . Persian Gulf War . During the Persian Gulf War , more than 5 , 000 Seabees ( 4 , 000 active and 1 , 000 reservists ) served in the Middle East . 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 . They built and maintained two 500 - bed Fleet Hospitals near the port city of Al - Jubayl . Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan . Seabees continue to provide critical construction skills in connection with the effort to rebuild the infrastructure of Afghanistan . All active and reserve Naval Mobile Construction Battalions ( NMCBs ) and Naval Construction Regiments ( NCRs ) have been deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan . The Seabees have been deployed since the beginning of the invasion of Iraq in 2003 . One of their most high profiles tasks in Iraq has been the removal of statues of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad . In Afghanistan , the Seabees main task has been the construction of multiple Forward Operating Bases for U . S . and coalition forces . Operation Enduring Freedom Southern Philippines . Since 2002 , Seabees have provided critical and tactical construction skills in an effort to win the hearts and minds of locals . Their efforts have begun to deter the rising influence of radical terrorists in the southern Philippines , most notably the Abu Sayyaf ' s jungle training area . Seabees work along with Army , Marines , and Air Force under Joint Special Operations Task Force - Philippines . Disaster relief and recovery . Seabees supported disaster recovery efforts for victims of the Northridge earthquake of 1994 . In summer 1992 , Seabees were called on to provide recovery assistance for Homestead , Florida following Hurricane Andrew . Seabees were also vital to the humanitarian efforts in Somalia during Operation Restore Hope in 1992 - 1993 . In 1994 , they were again called on to provide assistance to the Haitian Relief effort at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base , Cuba . On Christmas Day 1995 , Seabees arrived in Croatia to support the Army by building camps as part of Operation Joint Endeavor , the peacekeeping effort in Sarajevo , Bosnia - Herzegovina . On September 23 , 1998 , Hurricane Georges plowed through the Caribbean Islands causing millions of dollars in damage and generating thousands of DRT ( disaster recovery team ) man hours for the Seabees . The Navy provided generators and water trucks that were taken to nearby cities and damage assessment teams were sent to the local islands . Shortly after Hurricane Georges ravaged Puerto Rico and most of the Caribbean , the Seabees immediately turned their focus towards Hurricane Mitch , which was the most powerful hurricane of the 1998 season . Mitch left more than 17 , 000 people dead due to the high winds and heavy rains that Mitch produced creating mud slides that buried thousands in Central America . The Seabees deployed to Honduras participating in operations with Joint Task Force Bravo providing capabilities to conduct engineer reconnaissance , repair roads and bridges , clear debris , remove bridges and build base camps . Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 7 was the first Navy element to arrive in Central America taking part in their second humanitarian mission on the deployment . Seabees deployed in September 2004 in response to Hurricane Ivan ’ s destruction to the Naval Air Station Pensacola , Florida . The Seabees cleared hurricane debris , repaired roads , erected tents , and otherwise assisted fellow service members . The Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport , Mississippi suffered damage during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 . Seabees were tasked to rebuild the base and the Gulf Coast . Seabee of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Seven deployed to provide construction support and disaster relief to Haiti following the earthquake in 2010 . Seabee divers from Underwater Construction Team One along with Army Engineer divers made repairs to the heavily damaged port facilities in Port - au - Prince . This resulted in the re - opening of the port to allow humanitarian supplies into the country . Seabees from NMCB - 133 and Underwater Construction Team Two deployed to Japan as part of the relief effort after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami . Organization . Unit nomenclature . Battalion . The battalion is the fundamental unit of the Naval Construction Force ( NCF ) . Seabee battalions are constituted in such a way as to be self - sustaining in the field . The nomenclature for NCF battalions has evolved over the years . From the early 1960s through 1991 , reserve battalions were referred to as Reserve Naval Mobile Construction Battalions ( RNMCB ) . After 1991 , all reserve battalions were renamed to NMCB , signifying the integration of the reserve units with the active units of the NCF . Regiment . During the rapid build - up of the Seabees during World War II , the number of battalions in a given area increased and larger construction programs were undertaken . This necessitated a higher command echelon to plan , coordinate , and assign the work of several battalions in one area . As a result , Naval Construction Regiments ( NCR ) were established in December 1942 . Brigade . In April 1943 , Naval Construction Brigades ( NCB ) were organized to coordinate the work of regiment s . Brigade s were the highest NCF command echelon until early in the 21st Century . At that time , the last two brigades were the SECOND Naval Construction Brigade ( 2nd NCB ) and the THIRD Naval Construction Brigade ( 3rd NCB ) . The 2nd NCB commanded Atlantic Fleet Seabee units and the 3rd NCB commanded Pacific Fleet Seabee units . Both brigades were decommissioned in August 2002 and are no longer part of the NCF structure . Division . Shortly after the commencement of the Global War on Terror , it was realized that a single command interface for global Seabee operations would be required . On August 9 , 2002 , the FIRST Naval Construction Division ( 1 NCD ) was stood - up and commissioned at NAB Little Creek in Virginia . Since January 2006 , 1NCD has been a subordinate unit of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command ( NECC ) . Specialty Units . Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit ( CBMU ) . When first organized during WWII , these units consisted of approximately one - fourth the personnel of an NCB and were intended to take over the maintenance of bases on which major construction had been completed . Today , CBMU ' s provide public works support at Naval Support Activities , Forward Operating Bases , and Fleet Hospital / Expeditionary Medical Facilities during wartime or contingency operations . They also provide disaster recovery support to Naval Regional Commanders in CONUS . Underwater Construction Team ( UCT ) . UCT ' s deploy worldwide to conduct underwater construction , inspection , repair , and demolition operations of ocean facilities , to include repair of battle damage . They maintain a capability to support a Fleet Marine Force amphibious assault , subsequent combat service support ashore , and self - defense for their camp and facilities under construction . Seabee Readiness Group ( SRG ) . SRG ' s are regimental - level command groups tasked with administrative and tactical control of Construction Battalion Centers ( CBC ) and their permanently assigned NCF units when in homeport . The two SRG ' s were renamed from NCR ' s in January 2003 . Currently the TWENTIETH Seabee Readiness Group ( 20th SRG ) is based at CBC Gulfport , and the THIRTY - FIRST Seabee Readiness Group ( 31st SRG ) is based at CBC Port Hueneme . Amphibious Construction Battalion ( ACB ) . ACB ' s ( also abbreviated as PHIBCB ) evolved out of pontoon assembly battalions formed as part of the Seabees during WWII . After the war , these battalions ( originally MCBs 104 and 105 ) were renamed ACB ' s and assigned to Naval Beach Groups . Today , while the ACBs are part of the NCF , they do not report to 1 NCD , instead reporting to surface TYCOMs . Additionally , the ACBs have a different personnel mix than an NMCB with half the enlisted personnel being traditional Seabee rates and the other half being fleet rates . Obsolete Unit Types . NCF unit types that are no longer in use include : 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 % of the twelve weeks immersed in hands - on training . The remaining 25 % is spent in classroom instruction . From " A " School , new Seabees most often report to an NMCB command for their first tour of duty . For training , the new Seabees attend a four - week course known as Expeditionary Combat Skills ( ECS ) at the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport , Mississippi , and Port Hueneme , California . ECS is also being taught to all personnel who report to a unit in the Naval Expeditionary Combat Command . ECS is a basic combat - skills course where the students spend time in a classroom environment learning map reading and land navigation , battlefield first aid , how to lay out defensive plans , how to conduct patrols , vehicle egress , and many other combat - related skills . Half of each course is spent at a rifle range where students learn basic rifle marksmanship and then qualify with the M16A2 and M16A3 service rifles . ECS students also learn fundamentals of the M9 service pistol and qualify . At the end of training , 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 40 mm grenade launcher , the M2HB . 50 - caliber machine gun , or the M240 machine gun . Many reserve units still field variants of the M60 machine gun . Until 2012 , Seabees wore the M81 Woodland camouflage uniform or the legacy tri - color Desert Camouflage Uniform , the last members of the entire U . S . military to do so , but are now transitioning to the NWU Type III . Seabees use ALICE field gear as well as some units working with Marines use USMC issue ILBE gear . About one - third of new Seabees are assigned to Public Works Departments ( PWD ) at naval installations both within the U . S . and overseas . While stationed at a Public Works Department , a Seabee has 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 : Badge . The military qualification badge for the Seabees is known as the Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist insignia ( 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 SCWs pin . The qualifying units include : Naval Mobile Construction Battalions ( NMCB ) , Amphibious Construction Battalions ( ACB ) , Naval Construction Force Support Units ( NCFSU ) , Underwater Construction Teams ( UCT ) , and , since the end of 2008 , Naval Construction Regiments ( NCR ) . The SCWs insignia has been in existence since it was officially approved for use in 1993 . Ranks . The ranks of E - 1 through E - 3 in the Navy include Seaman ( white stripes ) , Airman ( green stripes ) , and Fireman ( red stripes ) . E - 1 through E - 3 Seabees use the designation " Constructionman " and wear sky - blue stripes on their dress and service uniforms . Logo . Frank J . Iafrate , a civilian plan file clerk at Naval Air Station Quonset Point , Rhode Island , was the artist who designed the original Seabee logo ( " Fighting ' Bee " ) in early 1942 . The logo has remained in use , unchanged . In late 1942 , after designing the logo , he enlisted in the Seabees . During World War II , artists working for Walt Disney designed logos for about ten Naval Construction units , including the 60th Naval ( Canal ) Construction Battalion and the 133rd Naval Construction Battalion , in 1943 . Music . 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 . The first verse of the song , however , is usually the only verse to be sung or played at official functions . Museums . The U . S . Navy Seabee Museum is located at Naval Base Ventura County , California . The new museum – built by Carlsbad - based RQ Construction – opened on 22 July 2011 , located outside the base itself , near the entrance to the Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme , California . Due to the location , visitors are able to visit the museum without having to enter the base itself . The design of the single - story , 38 , 833 square foot structure was inspired by the Seabee Quonset Hut . Inside are galleries for exhibition space , a grand hall , a theater for 45 people , collections storage , and research areas . On February 7 , 2011 , the Museum was certified as LEED Silver for utilizing a number of sustainable design and construction strategies . Features include the use of low - maintenance landscaping ; a “ cool ” roofing system with high solar reflectance and thermal emittance ; use of photocell controlled light fixtures and energy - efficient lighting fixtures ; 30 % use of regional materials and 80 % construction debris was recycled and diverted from landfills ; low Volatile Organic Compounds ( VOCs ) ; and , use of dual - flush toilets and low - flow aerator faucets . The Seabee Museum and Memorial Park , in Davisville , Rhode Island , was opened in the late 1990s by a group of former Seabees . The Fighting Seabee Statue is located here . The Seabee Heritage Center is located in Building 446 at the Naval Construction Battalion Center ( Gulfport , Mississippi ) . The Heritage Center is the Atlantic Coast Annex of the Seabee Museum in Port Hueneme . Opened in 1995 , the Museum Annex commemorates the history and achievements of the Atlantic Coast Naval Construction Force ( Seabees ) and the Navy ' s Civil Engineer Corps . Exhibits at the Gulfport Annex are provided by the Seabee Museum in Port Hueneme .