Photo By Spc. Eric Liesse | Petty Officer 3rd Class Chance Keifer, a construction mechanic with U.S. Naval Station...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba – Since 1942, the U.S. Naval Construction Force, better known as the Seabees, have built bridges, homes, offices and anything else needed to complete the missions at hand. Trained as Sailors as well as construction specialists of all types, Seabees create and upkeep the infrastructure of the Navy.
The Seabees of U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, the 25-man Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4, are no different.
From constructing storage buildings for base organizations, to maintaining the Marine's 22-mile perimeter road, to literally moving sections of bridges, Gitmo's Seabees crew does it all.
"We're here to provide [construction] services for the Joint Task Force [Guantanamo] when needed and the Naval Station," said Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Brown, the operations department leader.
Brown explained that although the Seabees are not here because of the JTF, whenever the JTF Engineer's Office need personnel or equipment for a mission, NMCB 4 supply what they can.
One major project these Sailors are currently involved in is constructing the bridge over the Guantanamo River that connects the two sides of the base. Two spans were built for the bridge – one from each side. However, when defects were discovered on the Leeward-side span, it was decided to move that segment back to the Seabees' shop area for repair. Brown expects the bridge to be finished and in use by the end of 2009.
The current crew of NMCB 4 has been on-island since the beginning of August, and they are here for a six-month deployment. Brown said Seabees usually deploy as a unit, and his office is the same.
The story of the Seabees name is not a typical military tale. During World War II, Navy Rear Adm. Ben Moreell felt the Navy needed trained Sailors to build advanced bases in war zones rather than civilian contractors. On Jan. 5, 1942, he was granted the authority to recruit civilian construction tradesmen specifically for the three new Naval Construction Battalions, getting the new designation of CB from this name.
The name of "Seabees" came from a Walt Disney Studios employee tasked to design a logo. After scrapping a badger, despite their natural construction prowess, the artist used a play on CBs, making "Seabees" and created the logo of the fighting and building Sailor bumble bee.
"Pretty much every island station I've been at, we've been hit by a hurricane," Brown said. During hurricane season, the Seabees receive even more specialized demands.
Before storms, like all other commands, their equipment is stowed away for safety. After the storms passes is when they kick into full gear.
Seabees get in their trucks and bulldozers to remove debris from the roadways and public areas – whether it's downed trees or scattered loose equipment.
"I guess we're like the road crew of Gitmo," Brown joked.
NMCB 4 does whatever construction needs Gitmo has in store for them, and as Hurricane Hanna and others barrel-down on the base, this hurricane season will be no different. Both construction tradesmen and Sailors, they build and they fight.
www.jtfgtmo.southcom.mil
| Date Taken: | 08.29.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 09.04.2008 15:51 |
| Story ID: | 23210 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 345 |
| Downloads: | 211 |
This work, Construimus, Batuimus: "We build, we fight", by SPC Eric Liesse, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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