#seabees

This Day in History: The Seabees of the United States Navy

At about this time in 1942, the United States creates a different kind of fighting force. These men didn’t rely on rifles, though. Instead, they drove bulldozers, concrete mixers, and cranes. They operated jackhammers, shovels, and welding torches.

“The Seabees of the United States Navy were born in the dark days following Pearl Harbor,” the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) website explains, “when the task of building victory from defeat seemed almost insurmountable. The Seabees were created in answer to a crucial demand for builders who could fight.”

Someone had to build the ports, roads, airstrips, and hospitals needed to win a war. Before World War II, the task was often delegated to private companies, but that solution had become impracticable.

“Under military law,” Rear Admiral Ben Moreell later explained, “civilians could not offer resistance when attacked. A civilian bearing arms would be considered a guerrilla, liable to summary execution if captured.”

📽 1944: The Fighting Seabees (war film) starring John Wayne, Susan Hayward, includes Dennis O'Keefe, William Frawley,  Leonid Kinsky, Addison Richards and Grant Withers

• During WII, "Wedge" Donovan (Wayne) is a tough construction boss, building airstrips in the Pacific for the US Navy during World War II. He clashes with his liaison officer, Lieutenant Commander Robert Yarrow (O'Keefe), over the fact that his men are not allowed to arm themselves against the Japanese.

When the enemy lands in force on the island, Donovan's men want to help fight. Donovan initially tries to dissuade them, but after a Japanese fighter kills or wounds several workers, he changes his mind and leads his men into the fray. This prevents Yarrow from springing a carefully devised trap that would have wiped out the invaders in a murderous machine gun crossfire, with minimal American losses. Instead, many of Donovan's men are killed unnecessarily.

As a result of this tragedy, Yarrow finally convinces the Navy to form Construction Battalions (CBs, or the more familiar "Seabees") with Donovan's assistance, despite their mutual romantic interest in war correspondent Constance Chesley (Hayward). Donovan and many of his men enlist and receive formal military training. (Republic Pictures)

•• The film highlighted the "We build, we fight" motto and the critical, dangerous role of Seabees in building infrastructure under fire.

Affiche de l’US Navy encourageant les ouvriers qualifiés à rejoindre les Seabees dans le cadre de l'effort de guerre : « Construisez pour votre Marine ! Enrôlez-vous ! Charpentiers, machinistes, électriciens, etc. » – 1941-1943

Illustration de Robert Muchley

(It is only rare because no one knows them)

(100% of fans ships this ship)

(100% of fans being me and like 5 friends who care enough to listen to me yap)

The United States Seabee

A Seabee, meaning "Sea Construction Battalion", is unique because they are a specialized unit within the US Navy primarily focused on construction, meaning they can build infrastructure like bases, airfields, and roads in combat zones or disaster areas, essentially "building while fighting" with the ability to defend themselves against enemy attacks while completing construction projects; making them a versatile military force capable of operating in diverse environments around the world. Seabee builders construct and repair facilities for the Navy and Marine Corps, and they are trained in a variety of trades, including carpentry, masonry, concrete, and painting. 

Among the numerous construction projects completed in 1967, was an alternate airfield at Dong Ha and the famed Liberty Bridge. Even though the northeast monsoon season had already begun, the airstrip was completed in only 38 days. The Liberty Bridge, which spanned the Thu Bon River, was one of the most impressive undertakings of the war.