Consolidated by U.S. Navy Seabee Museum, Naval History and Heritage Command
October 18
1942: 33rd NCB commissioned at Camp Bradford, Norfolk, Virginia.
1944: Camp Thomas, Davisville, Rhode Island, disestablished.
1945: 12th NCR inactivated.
1967: Seabee Team 0308 arrived at Phu Bai, RVN upon completion of six-month deployment.
1971: Seabee Teams 7107 and 7108 departed Davisville, Rhode Island, for reassignment to Officer in Charge, Naval Construction Battalions, U.S. Pacific Fleet Detachment (CBPACDET), RVN, and deployment to My Tho and Go Cong, RVN, respectfully.
October 19
1943: The Secretary of the Navy designated the Advance Base Depot Receiving Barracks, Davisville, Rhode Island as Camp Thomas.
2011: Chief Builder (SCW) Raymond J. Border of West Lafayette, Ohio killed by improvised explosive device in Afghanistan while assessing a road in Paktika Province while deployed with NMCB 74.
October 20
1945: The 30th Special NCB was inactivated at Naval Construction Training Center (NCTC) Davisville, Rhode Island. Men eligible for discharge were sent to discharge centers. The ineligibles were shipped to Port Hueneme, California for further assignment. 30th Special NCB inactivated at Davisville, Rhode Island.
1970: NMCB 5 main body departed Vietnam for CBC Port Hueneme, California.
October 21
1943: 138th NCB commissioned at NCTC Camp Peary, Magruder, Virginia.
October 22
1942: 35th NCB commissioned at Camp Endicott, Davisville, Rhode Island.
1967: Main body of NMCB 40 departed Davisville, Rhode Island for reassignment to the 30th NCR for duty at Chu Lai, RVN; NMCB 128 s main body deployed from CBC Gulfport, Mississippi to Camp Faulkner, Da Nang, East RVN in eight C-141 aircraft.
1968: NMCB 4 main body departed Camp Haines for Da Nang, RVN and from Da Nang to CBC, Port Hueneme, California.
October 23
1943: 130th Naval Construction Battalion (NCB) commissioned at Naval Construction Training Center (NCTC) Camp Endicott, Davisville, Rhode Island.
1944: Advance Base Depot Receiving Barracks (Camp Thomas), Davisville was disestablished and facilities and functions of the barracks were transferred to NCTC Davisville.
1947: 109th NCB inactivated on Guam.
1966: Main body of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 58 departed Davisville, Rhode Island for Da Nang, Republic of Vietnam (RVN).
1967: The first Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) officer to be killed in Vietnam was Lt. Joseph J. Rhodes, a member of Mobile Construction Battalion (MCB) 121. Rhodes was riding in a jeep that struck a land mine and he died from multiple shrapnel wounds. Two other occupants of the jeep, Chief Steelworker Gordon J. Dibble and Builder (Concrete) 3rd Class Jon R. Morbay, were also killed. A Seabee camp at Quang Tri, RVN was later dedicated in Rhodes memory. A plaque bearing the inscription, Camp Rhodes Dedicated in Honor of Lt Joseph John Rhodes, Killed in Action October 23, 1967 was unveiled by Rear Admiral A.C. Husband, then Chief of Civil Engineers.
1967: Main body of NMCB 133 departed RVN and returned to Construction Battalion Center (CBC), Gulfport, Mississippi; an NMCB 11 advance party of two officers, 27 enlisted personnel, and 1 dog (Seabee Team 1108 s mascot Colonel ) departed Dong Ha, RVN for return to the continental U. S. (CONUS).
1968: Cmdr. D.A. Bartley, commanding officer of NMCB 10, relieved Cmdr. R.M. Fluss, commanding officer of NMCB 4, as commanding officer of Camp Haines, RVN.
1969: Seabee Teams 0915 and 0916 were transferred to NMCB 10.
2009: Rear Adm. Richard E. Cellon, CEC, USN was relieved by Rear Adm. Mark A. Handley, CEC, USN as the commander, First Naval Construction Division (NCD), Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Virginia.
October 24
1944: Tank mounted flame throwers became a productive weapon for routing Japanese soldiers out of caves and pillboxes during the Second World War. A composite group was set up to assist the Army s Chemical Warfare personnel in developing this weapon. Included in the group were an officer and 25 Seabees from the 117th NCB. After several demonstrations, the flame throwing tank proved to be generally satisfactory except for one technical detail, which the tankmen said was a distinct disadvantage. The Seabees set to work on a design for a functional modification of the weapon. Not only did the Seabee design eliminate the objectionable feature of the prior models, but it greatly reduced the number of moving parts. At its first demonstration on October 24, 1944, the new weapon was given enthusiastic approval by tankmen and chemical warfare officers. In addition to building these flame thrower tanks, Seabees also instructed tankmen how to operate them. The Seabee instructors assisted in making experts out of Army and Marine tankmen before the tanks went into action in such places at Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Peleliu.
1944: 9th Naval Construction Brigade commissioned; 41st Naval Construction Regiment (NCR) commissioned.
1945: 36th NCR inactivated.
1967: Cmdr. D.W. Wittschiebe, CEC, USN, commanding officer of NMCB 128, relieved Cmdr. E.H. Marsh, CEC, USN, commanding officer of NMCB 133, at camp Faulkner, Da Nang East, RVN; NMCB 128 main body arrived in Da Nang, RVN; NMCB 71 main body of 20 officers and 782 Seabees departed Chu Lai, RVN for Davisville, Rhode Island on nine C-141 aircraft; NMCB 40 main body arrived in Chu Lai, RVN.