{{Infobox military unit , unit_name = Beachmaster Unit One , image = , image_size = 200 , caption = BMU-1 Insignia , dates = July 13, 1949 - Present , country = {{flag, United States , allegiance = , branch = {{flag, United States Navy , type = , role = , size = , command_structure = , current_commander = Commander William Albert , garrison = NAB Coronado , ceremonial_chief = , colonel_of_the_regiment = , nickname = , patron = , motto = "Any Beach, Any Time" , colors = yellow patch , march = , mascot = , battles =

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

, notable_commanders = , anniversaries = Beachmaster Unit One, (BMU-1) is a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

amphibious

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

party unit based at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in

Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort city located in San Diego County, California, United States, across the San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population was 24,697 at th ...

. BMU-1 is the sister unit of

Beachmaster Unit Two Beachmaster Unit Two (BMU-2) is a United States Navy amphibious beach party unit based at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek in Little Creek, Virginia. Since 1949, BMU-2 has been involved in major amphibious exercises and operations in Lebanon, Cub ...

located in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

Mission

Beachmaster Unit One deploys and supports combat ready Beach Party Teams in support of amphibious operations around the world. Their function is to control landing craft,

lighterage Lightering (also called lighterage) is the process of transferring cargo between vessels of different sizes, usually between a barge (lighter) and a bulker or oil tanker. Lightering is undertaken to reduce a vessel's draft so it can enter port facil ...

, and

amphibious vehicles An amphibious vehicle (or simply amphibian), is a vehicle that is a means of transport viable on land as well as on or under water. Amphibious vehicles include amphibious bicycles, ATVs, cars, buses, trucks, railway vehicles, combat vehicles a ...

in the vicinity of the beach from surf line to high water mark, and coordinate movement over the beach of equipment, troops, and supplies. They also maintain observation of wind and surf conditions, and provide limited assistance in local security and beach defense. They have the capability to provide beach and surf zone salvage with use of their

LARC-V LARC-V (Lighter, Amphibious Resupply, Cargo, 5 ton), is an aluminium-hulled amphibious cargo vehicle capable of transporting 5 tons. It was developed in the United States during the 1950s, and is used in a variety of auxiliary roles to this ...

vehicle and provide the evacuation of casualties, prisoners-of-war, and non-combatants. Beachmaster Unit 1 reports to

Naval Beach Group 1 Naval Beach Group One, (NBG-1) is a United States Navy amphibious unit based at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in Coronado, California. Naval Beach Group Two is its sister unit based at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia. Mission Sinc ...

History

Beachmaster Unit was formed from the Navy Shore Party of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The Shore Party formed the nucleus to which the various land and naval elements were assigned for an operation. The naval elements included the

Underwater Demolition Team Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT), or frogmen, were amphibious units created by the United States Navy during World War II with specialized non-tactical missions. They were predecessors of the navy's current SEAL teams. Their primary WWII fun ...

, a Naval Pontoon Unit, and a Boat Pool. Units called Beach Parties were formed and were composed of members of the ship's crew to ensure the mass movement and orderly flow of troops, equipment and supplies, through the surf zone, onto the hostile shore, and across the assault beaches to achieve the success of the amphibious operations. The original units consisted of approximately two officers and thirty men, to support the landing of the battalion of troops. In July 1948, the

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...

ordered the commissioning of the Beachmaster Unit as a separate command with designation as Beachmaster Unit One. Beachmaster Unit One was commissioned at the U.S. Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, July 13, 1949.

Beach Party Teams

Beach Party Teams are responsible for controlling the boat traffic in the surf zone, controlling the beaching and retracting the landing craft, and directing the smooth and efficient flow of personnel and material over the beach. Beach Party Teams are led by the Beachmaster Team Commander. Beachmaster Unit One has 8 deployable departments. DET ALPHA
DET BRAVO
DET CHARLIE (Reserve)
DET DELTA
DET ECHO
DET FOXTROT
DET GOLF (Reserve)
DET WESTPAC (DET has been commissioned as a separate command,

Naval Beach Unit Seven Naval Beach Unit Seven, (NBU-7) is a United States Navy amphibious unit based at United States Fleet Activities Sasebo in Sasebo, Japan. Mission Naval Beach Unit Seven is a one of a kind Navy command that provides a limited Defensive Combat Op ...

(NBU-7) and is no longer part of BMU-1.)

External links

BMU-1 Website
Amphibious units and formations of the United States Navy 1949 establishments in California