Consolidated by Dr. Frank A. Blazich Jr., Historian, U.S. Navy Seabee Museum
On March 11, 1945, Construction Battalion Maintenance Units (CBMU) 627, 628, and 629 loaded their landing craft and pontoons on mammoth trucks and hauled them across France and the German borderlands to the Rhine River. In this photo, Seabees help Patton and the Army cross the Rhine River at Boppard, Germany. The boat crews are Seabees wearing Army uniforms at the request of General Patton. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum)
November 29
1945: 46th Naval Construction Regiment (NCR) inactivated.
1967: Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11 main body begins deployment from Dong Ha, Republic of Vietnam (RVN) to Construction Battalion Center (CBC) Port Hueneme, California. The movement was accomplished by 14 MAC C-130 flights.
November 30
1942: The first echelon of the 29th Naval Construction Battalion (NCB) arrived at Rosneath, Scotland. These men were the first Seabees to land in Europe; 41st NCB commissioned at Camp Allen, Norfolk, Virginia.
1945: 12th Naval Construction Brigade inactivated. 54th NCR inactivated. 25th NCB inactivated on Guam. 79th and 82nd NCBs inactivated on Okinawa. 27th Special NCB inactivated on Okinawa.
1967: NMCB 5 relieved NMCB 11 at Camp Barnes, Dong Ha, RVN.
December 1
1944: 108th NCB inactivated in Davisville, Rhode Island.
1945: 11th NCB inactivated at Subic Bay, Philippines. 37th NCB inactivated at Okinawa. 104th NCB inactivated at Samar, Philippines. 18th Special NCB inactivated on Peleliu. 23rd Special NCB inactivated at Okinawa.
1966: NMCB 8 main body of 19 officers and 707 enlisted personnel begin deployment by air from CBC, Port Hueneme, California to Rosemary Point, Chu Lai, RVN.
1967: Main body of NMCB 1 arrived at Davisville, Rhode Island from Da Nang, RVN. The commanding officer of NMCB 5 relieved the commanding officer of NMCB 11 as commanding officer of Camp Barnes, RVN.
1968: Seabee Team 0913 completed training at the 31st NCR and deployed to RVN, on a C-118 aircraft from NAS Point Mugu, California.
December 2
1942: 44th NCB commissioned at Camp Bradford, Norfolk, Virginia. 51st NCB commissioned at Camp Endicott, Davisville, Rhode Island.
1945: 32nd NCR inactivated.
1966: A change of command ceremony was held on board Camp Haskins, Da Nang, RVN at which Cmdr. Daniel N. Shockey relieved Cmdr. Richard E. Anderson as commanding officer of NMCB 9.
1966: Seabee Team 0509 deployed to Vietnam.
1968: NMCB 9 main body, consisting of 14 officer and 499 men, deployed to Camp Kinser, Okinawa, on two 707s and one Super DC-8 from Naval Air Station (NAS) Point Mugu, California.
Dec. 2 & Dec. 5, 1946: The USS
Yancey and USS
Merrick, respectively, departed Port Hueneme, California to take part in Admiral Richard E. Byrd s Antarctic expedition, Operation Highjump. Aboard these ships were 166 Seabee members of the expedition. The mission of Operation Highjump was to map the frozen continent, train personnel, and test gear under cold weather conditions. Seabee tasks at Little American Four included unloading equipment and supplies, setting up a temporary naval base, and building housing, a mess hall and storage facilities. In addition, they built a temporary airstrip, an emergency base further inland, and a communications system. These men were the first Seabees to serve in Antarctica.
1969: The main body of NMCB 4 moved from Vietnam to CBC, Port Hueneme, California.
December 3
1945: 98th NCB inactivated at Sasebo, Japan. 135th NCB inactivated at Okinawa.
1945: 25th Special NCB inactivated at Milne Bay.
1966: NMCB 74 recommissioned at ceremony at CBC Gulfport, Mississippi, with Cmdr. Gordon W. Schley.
1966: NMCB 3 begins departure from Chu Lai, RVN on eight C-141 aircraft.
1971: Lt. Cmdr. D. Plunnecke was relieved as executive officer of NMCB-74 by Lt. Cmdr. S.J. Quigley.
December 5
1945: 7th NCR inactivated. 13th NCB inactivated on Okinawa. 43rd NCB inactivated at Nagasaki, Japan. 116th NCB inactivated at Sasebo, Japan.
1966: Seabee Team 0910 departed the main body at Da Nang, RVN via C-118 aircraft for the 31st NCR to commence military and technical training.
1967: At a convoy passing site, NMCB 3 personnel were involved when four mines exploded simultaneously. (They were believed to have been command detonated dud bombs.) Several Seabees were knocked down by the blast and one carried 40 feet through the air. Unbelievably, no casualties were sustained.
1967: Rear Admiral James V. Bartlett, commander of the Third Naval Construction Brigade, dedicated Camp Wilkinson in memory of Construction Mechanic 1st Class J.W. Wilkinson, killed during a mortar attack on the Phu Bai/Gia Le bases. Camp Wilkinson was the Seabee camp at the Gia Le Combat Base near Phu Bai, Vietnam.