CAMP SHELBY, Miss. – BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions illuminated the darkness as silhouetted figures dropped to the ground. Several minutes later, they moved to fortified bunkers as the call, “Set Condition Bunkers”, filled the air. For days, the Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 endured the onslaught, day and night.
After nearly three weeks of intense 24-hour operations aboard the training range at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Miss., NMCB 133 completed its field exercise April 3 and will complete the final retrograde inventories of all its equipment mid-April.
During the exercise, more than 500 Seabees assigned to the battalion honed their technical and contingency construction skills while testing their defensive combat skills in a real-time scenario environment.
Contingency construction projects included a South West Asia hut (SWAHUT), a heavy timber bunker, a hardened sentry post, and a Medium Girder Bridge.
NMCB 133 deployed three elements from its main body camp to establish defense and perform construction at separate training locations across Camp Shelby. Detail 2 was one of these elements, and after security was set, its bridge crew of a dozen Seabees along with a bridge master and safety supervisor successfully constructed a 32-foot long, 70-ton capacity Medium Girder Bridge.
Once the bridge was completed, the detail paused for a ceremony on the bridge. First, Engineering Aide Third Class Raymond Young, a native of Meadville, Penn., took an oath to continue to serve and reenlisted for two more years in the Navy. Young said he decided to stay Navy to finish off another deployment and work on his college degree while still having the privilege to serve with his fellow Seabees.
Next, Builder Constructionman Olivia Ploetz was awarded her Seabee Combat Warfare insignia. Ploetz said, “Now that I have my pin, I am looking forward to being able to apply the knowledge on our upcoming deployment and assist others.”
Behind the scenes in each detail and throughout the battalion, the logistics professionals of Supply and the members of Alfa Company kept the battalion moving, eating, and constructing by inventorying and transferring more than 300 tool kits and assemblies as well as project material and performing more than one thousand maintenance checks.
Meanwhile, 16 Seabees assigned to Echo Company’s technical training details completed three projects that improved the infrastructure aboard Camp Shelby, improving the facilities for future instructors and exercise participants.
From fresh sidewalks at Range Control to concrete slabs under bleachers at the parade field to berthing structures at COL 1, Seabees cranked out professional, quality craftsmanship that will last for years to come.
Engineering Aide Constructionman Brice Krauth said that as a junior Seabee, the opportunity to be on a project helped him develop an understanding of a project’s format.
“It gave me firsthand knowledge of what is expected of my rate and the rates of my coworkers,” Krauth added. “Having a project under my belt and with deployment coming up, I now have more confidence and feel more prepared to take on any tasks I may face over deployment.”
| Date Taken: | 04.03.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 04.16.2014 16:39 |
| Story ID: | 126307 |
| Location: | GULFPORT, MS, US |
| Hometown: | MEADVILLE, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 279 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NMCB 133 demonstrates, builds skills during field exercise, by PO1 Steven Myers, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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