Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 40 Naval Mobile Construction Battalion FORTY ( NMCB 40 ) was a Navy Seabee Battalion based out of Port Hueneme , California . Nicknamed " Fighting FORTY " . Its primary mission is wartime contingency construction as well as peacetime construction and disaster relief . History . World War II set the stage for the birth of NMCB FORTY — the ensuing island hopping from one Pacific theater combat zone to another earned the battalion its title , " Fighting FORTY " . The battalion ’ s first campaign in the New Hebrides included among other construction tasks the challenge of building an airstrip through solid coral . " Fighting FORTY " completed this project in 1943 and went on to build additional support facilities . As the pace of the war mounted , an advance party from NMCB FORTY landed with the first beach assault troops at Los Negros Island . During a fierce Japanese counterattack , FORTY Seabees dug in with Army troops on their defensive perimeter . After the fury of the attack subsided , FORTY returned to the job of rehabilitating the airstrip which it soon completed . In 1944 , " Fighting FORTY ” returned home , regrouped and sailed again into the Pacific in late 1944 . Port calls were made at Pearl Harbor , Hawaii ; Eniwetok Island ; and Tanapay Harbor , Saipan . In 1945 , the battalion sailed for Okinawa one week after Easter and immediately began the work of rebuilding the island ’ s main supply routes . The battalion fought enemy forces and endured two major typhoons during its deployment to Okinawa . Following the close of World War II , “ Fighting FORTY ” joined the ranks of many other Seabee battalions that were decommissioned as part of post - war drawdown . Reactivation and Vietnam . In 1966 , the nation recalled NMCB FORTY from a decommissioned status where the lore of her Seabees had rested for 21 years . " Fighting FORTY " responded in force by deploying to Chu Lai , Vietnam to support advance base operations for the 3rd Marine Amphibious Force . FORTY built ammunition magazines and maintained Main Supply Routes during that deployment . FORTY returned to Vietnam for additional tours in 1967 and 1968 . 1990s to 2010s . In August 1990 , after Saddam Hussein ' s Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait , " Fighting FORTY " was called from its deployment site in Guam to support the First and Second Marine Expeditionary Forces in Saudi Arabia . FORTY participated in the II MEF bed - down — the largest multi - battalion contingency operation in twenty years . In 36 days Seabees placed over 20 , 700 cubic meters of concrete and built six separate camps to house 25 , 000 Marines . In support of Marine Air Group SIXTEEN , NMCB FORTY prepared of aircraft parking , fueling taxiways and maintenance hangar pads . With the arrival of the first nine - man team on December 10 , 1992 and the subsequent arrival its main body the following month , NMCB FORTY provided expeditious construction support to the forces of OPERATION RESTORE HOPE in Somalia . " Fighting FORTY " aided the Somalis through the construction and repair of schools and orphanages . Midway through its 1996 European Deployment , NMCB FORTY was redeployed to Bosnia - Herzegovina in support of OPERATION JOINT ENDEAVOR . Mount - out and embarkation via ship , rail , line - haul , and air was complex . Working alongside the U . S . Army , NMCB FORTY planned and operated with the Army ’ s First Armored Division Implementation Force ( IFOR ) to close and disestablish fourteen base camps . All operations in the formidably hostile environment of the Bosnia Posavina Corridor were done tactically with weapons at the ready . Logging over 256 tactical convoys covering more than 220 , 000 vehicle miles within a 75 - day operation , FORTY completed the camp disestablishments and provided contingency construction support for nineteen critical force sustainment projects — enabling enforcement of the Dayton Peace Accord . In 2003 , “ Fighting FORTY ” added once again to its rich history through its support of OPERATIONS ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM . Home ported in Port Hueneme during the hostilities phase , NMCB FORTY aided its sister battalions deployed to Southwest Asia through massive embarkation operations to send nearly 9 . 6 million pounds of construction equipment from California to Kuwait to support ongoing combat operations . In August 2003 , the “ Fighting FORTY ” Air Detachment redeployed from Okinawa , Japan directly to Southwest Asia to support ongoing global war on terrorism operations in Kuwait , Iraq , and Afghanistan . In December 2004 the battalion deployed to the Pacific theater of operations . The battalion completed numerous construction projects at the main body site in Okinawa and other locations throughout Japan , including Atsugi , Fuji , Iwakuni , and Sasebo . There were also detail sites in Pohang and Chinhae , South Korea ; Diego Garcia , and San Clemente Island . Within a month of deployment , a group of 50 Seabees responded to the devastating tsunami that struck Southeast Asia , conducting critical engineering assessments on government facilities and airfields . They also supervised the construction of tension fabric structures and supported runway working parties that delivered relief supplies to the people of Indonesia . Additionally , the battalion participated in the Deployment - for - Training ( DFT ) Cobra Gold , promoting interoperability between the nations ’ military components . Finally , the battalion deployed Seabees in support of a Joint Task Force exercise , New Horizons 2005 , to provide humanitarian construction and engineering operations for the nation of Panama . In September 2005 , “ Fighting FORTY ” conducted humanitarian relief , clearing , and construction operations for the citizens of greater New Orleans , Louisiana and Gulfport , Mississippi following the devastation brought on by Hurricane Katrina . Under arduous conditions and with limited resources , NMCB 40 employed resourcefulness , ingenuity , and technical expertise to provide immeasurable relief and accelerated recovery in the affected region , In April 2006 , “ Fighting FORTY ” deployed to Guam and Southwest Asia , brilliantly executing peacetime and contingency construction operations around the globe , including operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in support of OIF , and detail sites in Guam ; Whidbey Island , Washington ; Palau ; Thailand ; and aboard the USNS Mercy . In the end , the battalion completed over 42 , 000 mandays of safe , high quality construction throughout the Pacific and Central Command Theaters of Operation , resulting in a combined cost savings of over $ 14 . 8M . In August 2007 , “ Fighting FORTY ” mounted out to the CENTCOM , EUCOM , and SOUTHCOM theaters . The complexities of the battalion ’ s deployment cannot be overstated , with sites located throughout Kuwait ; the Horn of Africa ; Andros Island ; Guantanamo Bay , Cuba ; Rota , Spain ; Romania ; Sao Tome ; and Ghana . Despite the challenges associated with such dispersion of personnel and tasking , the battalion excelled , safely completing over 46 , 000 mandays of construction , camp maintenance service and combat service support on 91 projects . In January 2009 , “ Fighting FORTY ” deployed to Okinawa , Japan , and nine detail sites spread throughout the Pacific Command ( PACOM ) Area of Operations . NMCB 40 took custody of the Tables of Allowance at Camp Shields in Okinawa and Camp Covington in Guam manning and maintaining both locations . NMCB 40 participated in eight annual PACOM exercises : COBRA GOLD , FREEDOM BANNER , BALIKATAN , VOLUNTARY DEMONSTRATION OF RESPONSE ( VDR ) , Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training ( CARAT ) , FOAL EAGLE / KEY RESOLVE , TALISMAN SABER , and ULCHI FOCUS GUARDIAN . The exercises included Humanitarian and Civic Assistance ( HCA ) projects which continue to further the U . S . strategic goal of Theater Security Cooperation in key regions around the world . In all , NMCB 40 completed a total of 40 , 143 mandays ( MDs ) of readiness training and construction tasking for more than 48 construction projects in 10 countries dispersed throughout the PACOM AOR . NMCB 40 also opened up the newest 26 - person detail site in Timor - Leste ( formerly known as East Timor ) and constructed , repaired and renovated over eight schools for the Timorese Government . In June 2010 , “ Fighting FORTY ” deployed a reinforced Air Detachment of 125 Seabees from Port Hueneme , California to Kandahar in Regional Command – South ( RC ( S ) ) , Afghanistan , to support Operation HAMKARI BARAYE ( Phase III of Operation MOSHTARAK ) . This operation was critical to shape and enable the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( GIRoA ) to protect the Afghan people and provide a secure environment for sustainable peace . The Mainbody deployed to RC ( N ) and RC ( E ) to Forward Operating Base Deh Dadi II and six enduring detail sites in July , 2010 , throughout the NATO ISAF Theater of Operations . The Battalion conducted a relief - in - place ( RIP ) with NCMB FOUR to support the surge of 30 , 000 additional troops directed by the Commander - in - Chief to bolster the Afghanistan strategy . From the Pacific Island during World War II to the jungles of Vietnam , the Persian Gulf , the scorching sands of Somalia , the war torn areas of Bosnia , and back to the deserts of Southwest Asia , the Seabees of " Fighting FORTY " have stood ready to build and fight in a world that challenges freedom . Decommissioning . On September 12 , 2012 , Naval Mobile Construction Battalion FORTY was decommissioned at the Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme , California . In addition to its last commanding officer , CDR Timothy DeWitt , in attendance was Commander Naval Facilities Engineering Command ( NAVFAC ) RADM Christopher J . Mossey , along with many other former Commanding Officers and Command Master Chiefs .