NMCB 74 Builds K-SPAN In Cap Draa

Courtesy Photo | Petty Officer 3rd Class Joel Stephens, a Gulfport, Miss., native and steel worker who serves with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74, hones his welding skills at Cap Draa, Morocco, May 10. The construction battalion is building a rounded building in support of Exercise African Lion 11, which is a joint exercise among the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and the Royal Moroccan Military. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Dustin Roberts, 301st Public Affairs Detachment)  

CAP DRAA, MOROCCO

05.10.2011

Courtesy Story

301st Public Affairs Detachment

Story by: Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Pankau

CAP DRAA, Morocco – Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 is building a K-SPAN in Cap Draa, Morocco in support of Exercise African Lion.

The K-SPAN is a rust resistant, weather resistant and fireproof structure built in strategic locations around the world to support the joint mission of the Department of Defense. The K-SPAN NMCB 74 is constructing joins two others already on site in Tan Tan.

“A K-SPAN equipped with electricity, lights, doors, and fans can be built in three weeks to a month depending on the size,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jack Hoffman, a builder and the NMCB 74 K-SPAN project supervisor. “The foundation was already made for this particular unit. We’re making a few adjustments to the foundation and should be done in a week or two.”

Hoffman said once the foundation is complete, the Ultimate Building Machine (UBM 240) uses rolls of sheet metal to create the panels that form the structure. Seabees then run the panels back through to bend them in the desired shape.

“We are building a Type 1 K-SPAN, or a single arch radius, but others can be built with the UBM 240 that increase the overall size or surface area of the K-SPAN,” Hoffman added.

Once the panels are created, Hoffman said the NMCB 74 Seabees will put up a C-channel to create a starting point for the dome. Hoffman defined C-channels as the anchoring point for the rest of the panels and will eventually be where the end walls are situated.

“Once the first C-channel goes up, we seam the panels together and connect the last C-channel,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Mike Gerty, a utilitiesman and the safety and quality control officer in charge. “The end walls come up, followed by doors, electrical wiring, fans and other finishing touches. After that the K-SPAN is ready for use.”

“This K-SPAN will serve as a training facility for joint exercises and for the Moroccan military,” said Chief Petty Officer Roderick Reeves, a steel worker and the assistant officer in charge for the NMCB 74 Seabees deployed for training. “Training is only one of the many functions of the K-SPAN; however, members from every branch of service benefit from them.”

Reeves said each structure is capable of storing multiple vehicles and equipment and can also be used as a headquarters location or even a place for the troops to relax when not on duty.

“The beauty of a K-SPAN, at least for a small agile force such as the Marine Corps, is having a multi-purpose structure fluidly adaptable to our movements, strategically located in our various areas of global operation,” said Maj. Kenneth White, the executive officer of Combat Logistics Company 44. “As the Department of Defense leans towards joint U.S. military forces consistently working together in the field, K-SPANs become just as essential to the mission as the pre-positioned locations they are built on.”

White outlined scenarios involving military forces responding to a call for disaster relief or a humanitarian assistance mission in which having a K-SPAN already on site would greatly benefit the mission. A location with a K-SPAN fully equipped with electrical wiring, lights, and fans enable deployed forces to quickly set up a command center. Once everything is set up and a generator is hooked up to the site the command center is ready in a few hours.

Reeves said African Lion provides NMCB 74 with a convenient opportunity for training and his crew is motivated to support the joint effort as well as train their newer Seabees. This is Builder Constructionman Ana Serrano’s first time constructing a K-SPAN, and she said she can’t wait to see the finished product.

“Watching something being built by your own hands and the combined experience and teamwork of all the other Seabees here is so gratifying,” said Serrano.

Exercise African Lion 2011 is a cooperative training exercise involving the Moroccan military and the 14th Marine Regiment with the Naval Support Element, Army Task Force 24, and Marine Corps 4th Landing Support Battalion Charlie Company supporting the execution of ship to shore movement of cargo and equipment.

• Date Taken: 05.10.2011
• Date Posted: 05.22.2011 23:26
• Story ID: 70862
• Location: CAP DRAA, MA