By Lt. j.g. Marc Simm.
Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3 Public Affairs
YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3, Det. Yokosuka completed three construction readiness operations (CRO) projects in support of naval installations in Japan.
"Seabees are a force multiplier for the 7th Fleet area of operations," said Lt. John Pinachio, assistant public works officer assigned to Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY). "They provide CFAY Public Works Department with an increased capability to deliver strategic projects in direct support of the warfighter."
Eighteen Seabees deployed to Yokosuka in October 2018 with an extensive engineering and construction skillset. The group of Seabees conducted all the planning, estimation and construction for each project. The projects range in complexity, and include electrical wiring, plumbing, and structural work.
The Seabees first completed a push-bar emergency exit swing gate on the Naval Air Facility Atsugi electrical plant. Construction also included a 15-foot sidewalk from the gate to the street. Prior to construction, the electrical substation had no emergency egress. Seabees provided rapid construction, reducing and ultimately eliminating a significant risk to U.S. and local national workers.
Next, the Seabees completed a 20-foot by 40-foot, open-bay building on the Naval Air Facility Atsugi water treatment facility. The building has a foundation reinforced with 24-inch footers. The structure will support heavy equipment as needed and provides a space for water treatment facility employees to continue work through inclement weather.
“The open-bay building we built in Atsugi also serves as a great learning application because our Seabees got to really exercise their skills and in turn they got a good sense of accomplishment out of it,” said Steelworker 1st Class Michael Featherston, leading petty officer of NMCB-3, Det. Yokosuka. “It showed some of our more junior Seabees that they can finish projects on time and with high quality.”
The third CRO project required all the combined skills of the Seabee ratings. The Seabees constructed a 40-foot by 60-foot woodshop for the Yokosuka Naval Base ship repair facility. The scope of work included the complete electrical wiring for overhead lighting, electrical appliances, woodworking equipment, and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning equipment, commonly referred to as HVAC. The Seabees also completed the plumbing for a service sink, bathroom, and main waterline connection.
“Not only do we get to provide support to the installations, but the work we do here serves as a great opportunity for our Seabees to further develop and demonstrate the skills we need for other construction responses and missions we may see in the future,” said Featherston.
In addition to CRO project tasking, NMCB-3, Det. Yokosuka provided two Seabees to CFAY’s facility engineering and acquisition division. The Seabees contribute their construction skillsets to provide construction quality assurance (QA) to high-priority, high value construction on the facility that is contracted out to local Japanese construction companies. Their support included QA of roof replacements on critical base facilities, commissary renovations, and security fence replacements to secure facilities, ultimately helping to ensure quality construction of critical facilities on the installation.
NMCB-3, Det. Yokosuka also provided Seabees to support CFAY’s logistics center, the command responsible for the acquisition of materials and contracted support for the entire installation. The construction expertise provided by the Seabees helped to expedite the acquisition of construction materials for the installation.
NMCB-3 deploys teams of Seabees to various locations throughout the Indo-Pacific. Each team is task-tailored to execute a variety of construction projects and engineering support. Seabees are experts in expeditionary construction adaptable to all environments.
NMCB-3 is forward deployed throughout the Indo-Pacific region and United States ready to support major combat operations, theater security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. Seabees provide general engineering and civil support to Navy, Marine Corps and joint operational forces globally.
For more information about Seabees and NMCB-3, visit http://seabeemagazine.navylive.dodlive.mil or https://www.facebook.com/NMCB3/