Seabees Build Internal Control Point for NAS Pensacola

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrew Waters | 221208-N-PI330-1138 Pensacola, Florida (December 8, 2022) Seabees, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 (NMCB 133), fill concrete blocks to add strength to the structure of an internal control point on Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, December 8, 2022. NMCB 133 is at homeport in Gulfport, Mississippi operating as part of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command and conducting the basic phase of the force readiness training plan (FRTP). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrew Waters/Released)  

PENSACOLA, FL, UNITED STATES

07.31.2023

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrew Waters 

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133

PENSACOLA, Florida- Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 built an internal control point (ICP) on Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida from October 2022 to June 2023.

The ICP allows civilians on base to visit and use base amenities like the National Naval Aviation Museum without granting them full access to the installation.

“Overall, the project took roughly 8 months, from mid-October to mid-June, and we expended 1400 man-days,” said Chief Utilitiesman Cole Johnson, the project chief for the internal control point.

The Seabees from NMCB 133 inherited plans for the ICP from NMCB 1 at the end of August 2022 and made it their own as they made project decisions during construction. Johnson said the complexity of the ICP was one of the main challenges they faced during construction. The ICP consisted of an office area, head area, covered outside area, bollard storage pad, 40 road bollard sleeve systems and security fencing. This job required every aspect of Seabee construction from surveying and ground compaction to block laying and plumbing.

According to Builder 2nd Class Tristan Dirksen, one of the crew leaders for the project, some of the other challenges that presented themselves were training, weather and material logistics.

“Very few of us had actually done brick work,” said Dirksen. “It was a challenge getting people to train each other and to learn on the job. The material for the job was all in Gulfport, so it was a process to get it over to Pensacola, and sometimes we would need things more immediate than we could get it. With it being Florida, we would have to plan around the frequent rain when building the roof or pouring concrete.”

Despite these challenges they were able to finish the project as scheduled due to the crew’s hard work.

“I am extremely proud of all the Seabees that worked on this project with me,” said Johnson. “They all worked very well together, and they could lean on each other for the different type of work and skills required. Teamwork was the key factor in completing this project.”

In addition to this project being beneficial for NAS Pensacola, it was also important for the Seabees. It allowed them to demonstrate their capabilities to other naval communities and to Navy civilians as well as fostering good relations between the Naval Construction Force and the aviation community.

• Date Taken: 07.31.2023
• Date Posted: 07.31.2023 15:59
• Story ID: 450339
• Location: PENSACOLA, FL, US