Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11 (NMCB 11) 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 ...

Construction Battalion, otherwise known as a

Seabee United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Force (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Depending upon ...

Battalion, presently home-ported at the

Naval Construction Battalion Center (Gulfport, Mississippi) Naval Construction Battalion Center is a U.S. Navy industrial complex located in Gulfport, Mississippi. It serves as home base for the Atlantic Fleet Seabees, which are the Navy's construction battalions. Mission The mission of the Naval Construc ...

. The unit was formed during

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 ...

as the 11th Naval Construction Battalion at

Camp Allen Camp Allen, is a small United States Marine Corps base in Norfolk, Virginia, a satellite of the Naval Station Norfolk. In 1942 the Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks (now NAVFAC) wanted the first Seabee training center close to an existing Nav ...

on 28 June 1942. On 1 July, she moved to the new Seabee base Camp Bradford. Seabee battalions were numbered sequentially in the order they were stood up. The battalion lost one man during the war to a construction accident. The 11th CB was inactivated on 1 December 1945, at

Subic Bay Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Subi ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. The unit was reactivated as Mobile Construction Battalion 11 in the fall 1953, only to be decommissioned again in December 1969. However, MCB 11 made four tours in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. Eleven's fourth Seabee Technical Assistance Team (STAT) was sent to a

Special Forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

camp near the junction of two jungle routes, one called the Ho Chi Minh trail. It was the main route for the

Viet Cong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...

into

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

, and lead to the most decorated group of Seabees in Seabee history. The battalion's 1967 tour exposed the men to the most severe combat the Seabees had seen since World War II. They came under fire 128 times, costing them 12

KIA Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...

. There were construction fatalities as well. In addition, the battalion suffered 102 wounded. NMCB 11 had one man make all four tours, getting a ribbon that matches the battalion's battle streamer. The battalion was deactivated in 1969. Reactivated in 2007, NMCB 11 has since deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. It has also undertaken international engagement activities in the Pacific, and supported the relief efforts of

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

. Homeport for NMCB 11 is NCBC Gulfport Mississippi

History

WWII

From Camp Bradford, the battalion caught a train to the Advance Base Depot, Port Hueneme. NCB 11 was the very first CB to embark from that port for the Pacific. In the early record, 11th's first assignments are referenced by their code-names: Straw-hat, Straw-stack and Fetlock. "Straw-hat" was

Upolo UPolo, the British University Water Polo League, aims to improve the standard of water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarter ...

, Samoa, "Straw-stack" was

Tutuila Tutuila is the main island of American Samoa (and its largest), and is part of the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific. It is located roughly northeast of Brisbane, Au ...

, Samoa, and "Fetlock" was

Pago Pago Pago Pago ( ; Samoan: )Harris, Ann G. and Esther Tuttle (2004). ''Geology of National Parks''. Kendall Hunt. Page 604. . is the territorial capital of American Samoa. It is in Maoputasi County on Tutuila, which is American Samoa's main island. ...

. Eleven's primary projects were the construction of a Cub destroyer base and harbor facilities at Tutuila, fuel tanks, pump system, and fuel dock. A detachment was also sent to assist the 2nd CB on Upolo. From Samoa, CB 11 was transferred to Nouméa, New Caledonia when CBMU 506 relieved them on

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

. Nouméa was Hq for SOPAC. The main project on there was Naval Mobile Hospital 5. There were 3 detachment sites:

Magenta Magenta () is a color that is variously defined as pinkish- purplish-red, reddish-purplish-pink or mauvish-crimson. On color wheels of the RGB (additive) and CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located exactly midway between red and blue. I ...

, Ducos, and Ile Nou. They were then sent to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

for R&R. The next stop was Banika Island in the

Russells :''See also Russell Island (disambiguation).'' The Russell Islands are two small islands ( Pavuvu and Mbanika), as well as several islets, of volcanic origin, in the Central Province of Solomon Islands. They are located approximately northwest ...

to build a dock for Acorn. From there, the battalion embarked the USS Wharton (AP-7)Southern Cross Duty, Eleventh U.S.N. Construction Battalion 1942–1944, Army and Navy Pictorial Publishers, Army and Navy Publishing Company Building, 234 Main Street, Baton Rouge, LA 1944, p. 39,Seabee Museum Archives, Port Hueneme, CA for the

Admiralty Islands campaign The Admiralty Islands campaign (Operation Brewer) was a series of battles in the New Guinea campaign of World War II in which the United States Army's 1st Cavalry Division took the Japanese-held Admiralty Islands. Acting on reports from ai ...

. On

Los Negros Island Los Negros Island is the third largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is significant because it contains the main airport of Manus Province on its eastern coastline, at Momote. It is connected to Lorengau, the capital of the province, on Manus I ...

11 built the operational home for the 2nd NCR and started a Lion for the 7th Fleet. Shipmates with them on AP-7 was the 58th CB. At Milne Bay, Los Negros the 11th and 58th CBs joined the 71st. Projects the 11th had were the construction of three repair bases on

Seeadler Harbor Seeadler Harbor, also known as Port Seeadler, is located on Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea and played an important role in World War II. In German, "Seeadler" means sea eagle, pointing to German colonial activity between 1884 an ...

for seaplanes, landing craft, and the fleet. The seaplane base became home for

VPB-52 VPB-52 was a Patrol Bombing Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Torpedo Squadron 3D15 (VT-3D15) on 12 July 1928, redesignated Patrol Squadron 3-S (VP-3S) on 21 January 1931, redesignated Patrol Squadron 3 Base Force (VP-3F) ...

and their

PBY The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served w ...

s. From Los Negros the 11th returned to

CONUS ''Conus'' is a genus of predatory sea snails, or cone snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Conidae.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2015). Conus Linnaeus, 1758. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at ...

. After an extended R&R the battalion shipped out along with the 35th and 80th (

colored ''Colored'' (or ''coloured'') is a racial descriptor historically used in the United States during the Jim Crow, Jim Crow Era to refer to an African Americans, African American. In many places, it may be considered a Pejorative, slur, though it ...

) CBs for

. At Subic Bay, the 11th took over projects started by the 115th CB as well as team-worked with them on others. These included the completion of an Amphibious Training Center, Advance Base Construction Depot, a 400' marine railway.NHHC, U.S.Navy Seabee Museum website
Seabee Unit Historical Information, Naval Construction Battalions, 11th Naval Construction Battalion
/ref> and a 1,200-foot pier to serve a supply depot. On 1 December 1945 the battalion was inactivated. The record does not give the date that the men reached CONUS. * One of the Seabees first

Civic action A civic action program also known as civic action project is a type of operation designed to assist an area by using the capabilities and resources of a military force or civilian organization to conduct long-term programs or short-term projects. ...

projects, possibly the first, happened on Island X early in the war. A project was formulated that CB 11 would build a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

and

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

to supply an

airfield An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

, naval base,

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

as well as a neighboring

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

. The site chosen was inaccessible to transport, a mile from the village. To get close to the site, a trail had to be grubbed and

corduroy road A corduroy road or log road is a type of road or timber trackway made by placing logs, perpendicular to the direction of the road over a low or swampy area. The result is an improvement over impassable mud or dirt roads, yet rough in the bes ...

laid and a 20' bridge built. Even so, the last 500' materials had to be man-handled into position. For this the villagers were approached for the labor. The dam itself was constructed by them under Seabee supervision. Each laborer got his wife, mother, aunt, and daughter to carry the cement materials in head baskets to the

cement mixer A concrete mixer (often colloquially called a cement mixer) is a device that homogeneously combines cement, aggregate such as sand or gravel, and water to form concrete. A typical concrete mixer uses a revolving drum to mix the components. For ...

. In all 200 women were part to the work party.Natives Cooperation Helps Complete Dam, Lt. C.B. Middleton CEC, Seabee News Service, Issue 25, 20 June 1944, p.

/ref> * 11 NCBs original WWII Log and documents are at the NHHC-Seabee Museum website (click on "Naval Construction Battalion"). *AP-7, formerly SS Southern Cross, was one of the ships for

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

exploration by

Admiral Byrd Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, p ...

. When the battalion published its cruise book in 1944 "

Southern Cross Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for ...

Duty" was chosen for the title. The inspiration for the name came from the USS ''Wharton's'' history and being the battalion's transport south of the

equator The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can als ...

. *duty stations: Samoa 10 months, New Caledonia 5 months, New Zealand 1 month, Banika 2.5 months, Los Negros 6 months, on ship 2.5 months,

Port Hueneme Port Hueneme ( ; Chumash: ''Wene Me'') is a small beach city in Ventura County, California, surrounded by the city of Oxnard and the Santa Barbara Channel. Both the Port of Hueneme and Naval Base Ventura County lie within the city limits. P ...

6 months, Philippines 5 monthsSouthern Cross Duty, Eleventh U.S.N. Construction Battalion 1942–1944, Army and Navy Pictorial Publishers, Army and Navy Publishing Company , 234 Main Street, Baton Rouge, LA 1944, p. 39

Cold War era

In August 1953, the battalion was reactivated as Mobile Construction Battalion 11 (MCB 11) at Port Hueneme, CA.Naval History and Heritage Command,U.S. Navy Seabee Museum web page, Port Hueneme C

/ref> The battalion did not deploy to

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. Instead, her first deployment returned the battalion to its last World War II duty station,

. The project was constructing

Naval Air Station Cubi Point U.S. Naval Air Station Cubi Point was a United States Navy aerial facility located at the edge of Naval Base Subic Bay and abutting the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines. When the base closed, the air station became the Subic Bay International ...

with its adjacent pier. Along with CBs 2, 3, 5 and 9 MCB 11 was involved in the leveling of a mountain that civilian contractors said could not be done. It cost of $100,000,000 in 1956 ($ in dollars). In November 1955 MCB 11 landed on

Kwajalein Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilia ...

to build Department of Defense housing totaling 78 buildings. On Halloween 1959, the battalion relieved MCB 9 on

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

. The job was building base infra-structure: five 100'x400' warehouses, four shops, plus supply and administration buildings. Sent to

Midway Island Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; haw, Kauihelani, translation=the backbone of heaven; haw, Pihemanu, translation=the loud din of birds, label=none) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the Unit ...

in December 1961, the battalion worked on a seaplane ramp, the station's roads, as well as civilian and military housing. However, MCB 11 had three atypical projects for the Atomic Energy Commission on Kwajalein,

Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; mh, Ānewetak, , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ja, ブラウン環礁) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with it ...

, and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

. The battalion repaired massive damage caused by the 11 November 1962 arrival of

Typhoon Karen Typhoon Karen was the most powerful tropical cyclone to strike the island of Guam, and has been regarded as one of the most destructive events in the island's history. It was first identified as a tropical disturbance on November 6, 1962, ...

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

; an advanced party left for the island just days after the storm on 15 November, followed by the main body on 5 December. In 1965 MCB 11 had two Seabee teams sent behind the

iron curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...

to deal with a bug problem the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

had discovered in U.S. embassies.

Vietnam

CM3

Marvin Glenn Shields Marvin Glenn Shields (December 30, 1939 – June 10, 1965) was the first and only United States Navy Seabee (US Navy), Seabee to be awarded the Medal of Honor. He was also the first sailor to receive the Medal of Honor for heroism above and b ...

Mobile Construction Battalion 11. *1965 in late January, the battalion made history when it deployed to Okinawa. MCB 11 was the first Mobile CB to deploy by air. In February, Seabee Technical Assistance Team 1104 was sent to Ben Soi, Vietnam where they built a camp for U.S. Special forces.NHHC: Seabee Museum: Seabee Team 1104 and the Battle of Dong Xoai
/ref> "Seabee teams with Secret Clearances were sent to Vietnam to assist the U.S. Army's Special Forces in the CIA funded

Civilian Irregular Defense Group program The Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG, pronounced "sid-gee") was a military program developed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the Vietnam War, which was intended to develop South Vietnamese irregular military units from indig ...

(CIDG)". In June the program gave STAT 1104 another

assignment, construct a new camp at Dong Xoai. Nine of the team-members departed Ben-Soi to join Captain Bill Stokes ( 5th Special Forces Group) commander of the 10 men of team, A-342 at

Đồng Xoài Đồng Xoài () is the capital city of Bình Phước Province in the Southeast region of Vietnam. The city was the site of the 1965 Battle of Đồng Xoài during the Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was ...

. The camp had two adjoining compounds: The Green Berets, Seabees, and 200 odd Montagnards(CIDG) were in one, while 200 plus RVN Army were in the other. On the night 9 June the camp was attacked by over 2000

, beginning what is now called the Battle of Đồng Xoài. The combined Green Beret Seabee force lost 3 men, 16 were wounded and one was unscathed. Nearly all of the RVN Army and Montagnards were casualties. Steelworker 2nd class William C. Hoover became the first Seabee to lose his life in Vietnam. Though already wounded twice, CM3

helped retrieve a badly wounded Stokes and then volunteered to carry ammo for 1st Lt

Charles Q. Williams Charles Quincy Williams (September 17, 1933 – October 15, 1982) was a United States Army major and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for heroism above and beyond the call of duty as an Army ...

assault on a machine-gun position. They took that gun out but both were wounded again returning to their positions. For Shields it was fatal. Both men received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

for their actions. The next day, nearly out of ammunition and under heavy fire, the survivors were extracted at 1300 by three Hueys and a gunship from the 118th Aviation Company. Except, LTJG Peterlin and EOC McCully had gotten separated from the others and were left behind while Dong Xoia was declared a

free-fire zone A freedom zone to fire in U.S. military parlance is a fire control measure, used for coordination between adjacent combat units. The definition used in the Vietnam War by U.S. troops may be found in field manual FM 6-20: :A specific designated a ...

.Battle at Dong Xoai, BY DANA BENNER ,OCTOBER 2018 (VIETNAM MAGAZINE), HISTORYNET, 1919 Gallows Road, Ste 400, Vienna, VA 2218

/ref> Both men survived the night and were awarded

Silver Stars The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an en ...

. The other team members all received

Bronze Stars The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

with Vs for valor. Every man received a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

and the team received the

Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy and U.S. Marine Corps commands may recommend any Navy or Marine Co ...

. CM3 Shields is the only Seabee to ever be awarded the Medal of Honor. The Republic of Vietnam awarded Marvin Shields posthumously with the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm and the Military Merit Medal. For their part, the Seabees named their bases at Chu Lai, Vietnam and on Okinawa "Camp Shields" in his honor and named their base in Da Nang for SW2 Hoover. *1965 USMC base Camp Hansen on

was completed after 29 months of construction by MCBs 3, 9, and 11 repurposing

Chimu Airfield Chimu Airfield or NAB Chimu is a former World War II airfield on the Pacific coast of Okinawa. The airfield was inactivated after October 1945. History World War II The Chimu Wan area was captured during the first week of the Battle of Okinawa ...

. *1966 1st Tour: Battalion deployed to Camp Adenir at

Da Nang Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one ...

from February–October.

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

paid the battalion a visit in June to dedicate the enlisted-men's club.MCB 11 Assoc p. 3
/ref> *1967 2nd Tour: This time the battalion went north to

Dong Ha Dong or DONG may refer to: Places * Dong Lake, or East Lake, a lake in China * Dong, Arunachal Pradesh, a village in India * Dong (administrative division) (동 or 洞), a neighborhood division in Korea Persons *Queen Dong (1623–1681), prince ...

USMC Combat Base, just 13 miles south of the

DMZ A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or bounda ...

. There, they came under enemy fire 128 times that resulted in 5 KIA and 52 purple hearts. Eleven's first casualty was Senior Chief Barnes and the Seabee Camp at Dong Ha was named for him. The battalion saw the most severe enemy fire experienced by any CB since WWII while on this tour. The primary projects were the air field at

Dong Ha Combat Base Dong or DONG may refer to: Places * Dong Lake, or East Lake, a lake in China * Dong, Arunachal Pradesh, a village in India * Dong (administrative division) (동 or 洞), a neighborhood division in Korea Persons *Queen Dong (1623–1681), princes ...

, CB Camp, and twenty eight 50-foot observation towers. The battalion had too many other projects to enumerate here. During this deployment, an urgent airfield was needed at

Quảng Trị Quảng Trị () is a district-level town in Quảng Trị Province in the North Central Coast region of Vietnam. It is second of two municipalities in the province after the provincial capital Đông Hà. History The Sino-Vietnamese name Quả ...

. The project was designated "top secret", site "X", and to be completed in under 45 days. MCBs 1, 3, 4, 7, 11, 74, 121, and 133 all sent detachments of men and equipment to get the job done. Those detachments dubbed themselves the "Ghost Battalion" and chose the

Jolly Roger Jolly Roger is the traditional English name for the flags flown to identify a pirate ship preceding or during an attack, during the early 18th century (the later part of the Golden Age of Piracy). The flag most commonly identified as the Jolly ...

for the Battalion's colors. The Ghost Battalion was relieved by NMCB 10 disbanded 1 November 1967. *1968 3rd Tour: Quang Tri air base. The battalion made history in just getting to Vietnam. They were the first CB to deploy by air to the theater. The first couple of months saw the battalion living in tents pitched on sandy soil that did little for morale. There were a number of "High Priority" projects, starting with an Ammunition Supply Point. A "Minimum Essential Requirements" project (MER) for camp upgrades in the Quang Tri Combat area for the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps was also on that list. The project lead was NMCB 11, augmented by 200 man detachments from CBs 1, 3, 4, 7, 10, 11, 74, 121, and 133. The MER project was to build over 2000 basic structures to get "ALL" U.S. troops out of the sand and under cover before the next

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

began. Another "High Priority" was roadwork on Rt 1, the length of Vietnam. In addition to NMCB 11, CBs 1, 4, 7, 8, 53, 58, 62, 71, 74, 133, and 138 all worked concurrently on the route. On September 18 the new Seabee base that NMCB 11 built, Camp Rhodes, was commissioned at Quang Tri. It was named in honor of Lt. Joseph Rhodes CEC, who was killed in action. *1969 4th Tour: On this deployment, the battalion had three main deployment sites: Vietnam, Okinawa and Guam. In Vietnam the main projects were roads and bridges. One was the destroyed railway bridge built by the French at Song Bo. There, the crew came under enemy fire that attempted to stop the repairs several times, earning the men the Navy

Combat Action Ribbon The Combat Action Ribbon (CAR, ), is a high precedence United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States Marine Corps military decoration awarded to United States sea service members "who have actively participated in ground or sur ...

. Another bridge was on Route 1 at Bau Phu. NMCBs 1 and 11 did the construction work while 128 and 133 provided material support. On Okinawa, the battalion was on the island when Typhoon Cora passed with its 175 knot winds. NMCB 11 assisted in the recovery there. The Battalion returned to homeport to be decommissioned in December. * See the MCB 11 Association website for a detailed account of this period and complete listing of all construction done.MCB 11 Association website
/ref> In 1968 the Marine Corps requested that the Navy change its use of "MCB" for Mobile Construction Battalion as the Marine Corps were using "MCB" for "Marine Combat Base". The dual usage was creating confusion in Vietnam. The Navy agreed there was an issue and changed the Navy's CB name format. The USN from "United States Naval" Mobile Construction Battalions was changed to U.S. and the N was moved to the "MCB" creating the "NMCBs" that exist today. Seabee Technical Assistance Teams *1103 Nam Pot, Thailand, 1964 *1104 Ben Soi Special Forces Det. A-321 (Feb-June) 1964 *1104 Đồng Xoài Special Forces Det. A-342 (June) 1964 Seabee Teams *1105

Pleiku Pleiku is a city in central Vietnam, located in the Central Highlands region. It is the capital of the Gia Lai Province. Many years ago, it was inhabited primarily by the Bahnar and Jarai ethnic groups, sometimes known as the Montagnards or De ...

Special Forces Det. A-334A ( July-Dec) 1965, When team 1105 left Pleiku on December 23 the" Seabee Team Program in support of the U.S. Army Special Forces and

Civilian Irregular Defense Group The Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG, pronounced "sid-gee") was a military program developed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the Vietnam War, which was intended to develop South Vietnamese irregular military units from indi ...

(CIDG) Program" came to an end. *MMT Thailand (During 1965 the Seabees had 5 "Mobile Training Teams" for well drilling. MCB 11's team was made up of Equipment operators and Construction mechanics.) *MMT #2 Pleiku 1965 *Seabee Team "Project Demo" U.S.State Department: de-bugging U.S. Eastern European Embassies and repairing the removal damage.MCB 11 cruisebook 1964-65, p. 66/102 Seabee Museum Archive, Port Hueneme, C

/ref>Spy "Bugs" Open New Worlds for Seabees to Conquer, CIA library reading roo

/ref> 1965 *1108 Bình Dương, Awarded

Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or s ...

1967 *1109 Chiang Kam,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

1967 *1110

Cần Thơ Cần Thơ, also written as Can Tho or Cantho (: , : ), is the fourth-largest city in Vietnam, and the largest city along the Mekong Delta region in Vietnam. It is noted for its floating markets, rice paper-making village, and picturesque rur ...

and

Long Xuyên Long Xuyên () is the capital city of An Giang province, in the Mekong Delta region of south-western Vietnam. History In 1789, a group of explorers established a small outpost in the Tam Khe canal, naming it Dong Xuyen. Sooner after a marketpl ...

(in the

Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( vi, Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, lit=Nine Dragon River Delta or simply vi, Đồng Bằng Sông Mê Kông, lit=Mekong River Delta, label=none), also known as the Western Region ( vi, Miền Tây, links=no) or South-weste ...

) 1967 *1111 Bueng Kan(บึงกาฬ) and then Thung Song(ทุ่งสง) Thailand 1968 *1112 Chiam Kham and then Mae Chan(แม่จัน), Thailand 1968 *1113

Yap Island Yap ( yap, Waqaab) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federated States of Micro ...

(when NMCB 11 was decommissioned this team was still deployed and was transferred to NMCB 3 and re-designated Seabee team 0315) 1969 *1114 Majuro Island (when NMCB 11 was decommissioned this team was still deployed and was transferred to NMCB 3 and re-designated Seabee team 0316) 1969 *Commander Naval Construction Battalion U.S. Pacific Fleet, Tân Sơn Nhất, Republic of Vietnam, Completion Report 1963–1972. Seabee Team

2007 to present

NMCB-11 battlesight zero on Camp Leatherneck 120219-N-UH337-048

NMCB 11 was recommissioned on 14 September 2007 in order for the Naval Construction Forces (NCF) to carry out the increasing construction projects it was being tasked with throughout the world. Eleven was classified as the first "SMART Battalion", and instituted many of the initiatives and changes being implemented to improve NCF operations. According to the battalions webpage, "NMCB ELEVEN is tasked with providing advance base construction, battle damage repair, contingency engineering, humanitarian assistance and disaster recovery support to our fleet and unified commanders." *2009: The battalion was deployed in support of

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...

(OEF) and

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 ...

(OIF).The Official Website of the U.S. Navy Construction Force, NMCB 11 History
/ref> The battalion's civic action component was tasked to Exercise SHARED ACCORD 2009. *2010: The battalion had a deployment of civic action projects. One of these took a year to plan and three months to execute. This was the drilling of 3 wells in

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

for the

Pacific Partnership Pacific Partnership is an annual deployment of forces from the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy (USN), in cooperation with regional governments and military forces, along with humanitarian and non-government organizations. The deploymen ...

2010 in partnership with the hospital ship

USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) USNS ''Mercy'' (T-AH-19) is the lead ship of her class of hospital ships in non-commissioned service with the United States Navy. Her sister ship is . She is the third US Navy ship to be named for the virtue mercy. In accordance with the Genev ...

.(FIG. 15) NMCB 11 also went to the aid of the

U.S. Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 ...

(USAID) offices in Timor-Leste. In June NMCB 11 broke ground a Community center in

Timor-Leste East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...

as part of Exercise Crocodilo, a Marine Corps exercise conducted by the

15th Marine Expeditionary Unit The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (15th MEU) is one of seven such units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) with a strength of about 2,200 per ...

(MEU). *2011: Requested by

Kiritimati Island Kiritimati (also known as Christmas Island) is a Pacific Ocean atoll in the northern Line Islands. It is part of the Republic of Kiribati. The name is derived from the English word "Christmas" written in Gilbertese according to its phonology, ...

(Christmas Island) the U.S. sent a team from NMCB 11 to build the first health care facility on the island. *2012: The battalion deployed to FOB

Camp Leatherneck Camp Leatherneck was a 1,600 acre United States Marine Corps base in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The site was mostly in Washir District and was conjoined with Camp Bastion, which was the main British military base in Afghanistan and Camp Sho ...

Helmand Province Helmand (Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan Afghanistan is divided into 34 provinces (, '' wilåyat''). The provinces of Afghanistan are the primar ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. Work there was primarily in support of the Marine Corps and Special Operations Forces (USA). Much of this work took the form of building FOBs. There were also a fair number of civic action projects. *2012: After

, NMCB 11's Air-Det was sent to New Jersey and New York for two weeks. *2015: Deployment projects were carried out in support of OEF, as well as force protection, camp maintenance at various camps and civic action. *2018:

Hurricane Michael Hurricane Michael was a very powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that became the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States since Andrew in 1992. It was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to ma ...

support

Insignia

Like most CBs, 11 does not use the unit insignia from WWII. When the battalion was reactivated the first time, a pair of dice showing eleven was adopted for the unit insignia That design had no Seabee on it. The cover of the 1955–56 Cruise-book has an insignia on it exactly like the one used today, minus the phrase "Remembering the Past". For an unknown reason, the dice were removed from the unit insignia on the cover of the 1969 cruise-book.

Unit awards

NMCB 11 has received several

unit citation A unit citation is a formal, honorary mention by high authority of a military unit's specific and outstanding performance, notably in battle. Similar mentions can also be made for individual soldiers. Alternatively or concurrently, the unit can be ...

s and commendations. Members who participated in actions that merited the award are authorized to wear the medal or ribbon associated with the award on their uniform.

Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces awards and decorations are primarily the medals, service ribbons, and specific badges which recognize military service and personal accomplishments while a member of the U.S. Armed Forces. Such awards are a means t ...

have different categories, i.e. Unit, Campaign, Service, and Personal. Unit Citations are distinct from the other decorations. The following unit awards are 11's: *

: with two bronze stars: 1966, 1967, 1968 (covers two award periods) Vietnam * VNCivilActionsRibbon-2

Republic of Vietnam

Civil Actions Medal The Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Medal ( vi, Dân-Vụ Bội-Tinh) also known as the Vietnam Civil Actions Medal or Civil Actions Medal, is a military decoration of the former South Vietnamese government (1955–75). The medal was created ...

Unit Citation * Vietnam gallantry cross unit award-3d

Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Award (5) *

Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon

: 1969 Vietnam (single award covers two award periods) *

: 2010 USNS Mercy Cambodia *

: *

Battle Effectiveness Award ribbon, 1st award

Navy "E" Ribbon The Navy "E" Ribbon or Battle Efficiency Ribbon (informally the Battle "E" ribbon) was authorized on March 31, 1976, by Secretary of the Navy J. William Middendorf as a unit award for battle efficiency competition. The service ribbon replaced th ...

: – U.S. Atlantic Fleet Battle "E" (6) times. *Peltier Award: – 3 Campaign and Service Awards , Vietnam Service NMCB 11's Battle Streamer for Vietnam has one silver star and two bronze stars: the streamer alone counts as the first award. MCB 11 made 4 tours of Vietnam. The conflict was divided into 18 award periods and the battalion qualifies for eight. * Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal *

World War II Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal is a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. The Wor ...

Philippine Liberation Ribbon The Philippine Liberation Medal is a military award of the Republic of the Philippines which was created by an order of Commonwealth Army of the Philippines Headquarters on 20 December 1944, and was issued as the Philippine Liberation Ribbon. The d ...

Vietnam Campaign Medal The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, also known as the Vietnam Campaign Medal ( vi, Chiến Dịch Bội Tinh), is a South Vietnamese military campaign medal which was created in 1949, and awarded to French military personnel during the First ...

service ribbon with ''60– '' Device : – 3 awards *

Vietnam Service Medal The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces established on 8 July 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The medal is awarded to recognize service during the Vietnam War by all members of the U.S. A ...

: – 8 awards( see the battle streamer above) * Navy Combat Action Ribbon (awarded individually) *

National Defense Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four sp ...

: 11.1950–27.07.1954 (Korea) *

: 11.1961–14.08.1974 (Vietnam) *

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four sp ...

: War on Terror *

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (GWOT-SM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created through Executive Order 13289 on 12 March 2003, by President George W. Bush. The medal recognizes those military service ...

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal The Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (GWOT-EM) is a United States Armed Forces award created by George W. Bush on 12 March 2003, through Executive Order 13289. The medal recognizes those military service members who have deployed over ...

Afghanistan Campaign Medal The Afghanistan Campaign Medal (ACM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of President George W. Bush on November 29, 2004, and became available for general distribution in June 2005. T ...

11's Seabee Teams *1101 –

*1104 –

*1108 –

*1113 –

*1114 –

** A complete listing of NMCB 11s Vietnam: Unit, Individual, and letters of commendation: see appendices 2–6 ** Complete Seabee Teams Report by: Commander Naval Construction Battalion U.S. Pacific Fleet, Tân Sơn Nhất, Republic of Vietnam, Completion Report 1963–1972. Unit Letters of Commendation * Brigadier General Henry L. Larsen USMC, Commander Defense Forces American Samoa, 25 June 1943 * Rear Admiral

Ben Moreell Admiral Ben Moreell (September 14, 1892 – July 30, 1978) was the chief of the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks and of the Civil Engineer Corps. Best known to the American public as the father of the Navy's Seabees, Moreell's life spanned ...

, Budocks, 7 August 1943 * Major General

Charles F. B. Price Charles Frederick Berthold Price (September 18, 1881 – January 23, 1954) was a Lieutenant General of the United States Marine Corps, who saw service during Cuban Pacification, Spanish–American War, World War I and World War II. Retired Mari ...

USMC, Hq Defense Group (Samoa) * Fleet Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey (see:

William Halsey William Frederick "Bull" Halsey Jr. (October 30, 1882 – August 16, 1959) was an American United States Navy, Navy admiral during World War II. He is one of four officers to have attained the rank of five-star Fleet admiral (United States), f ...

), COMSOUTHPAC Forces Nouméa, New Caledonia,November 1, 1943 * Commodore J.E. Boak Commander Naval Base 3205 (Manus, Admiralty Islands), 11 May 1944 * Officer-in-Charge 4th USN Construction Brigade (Milne Bay) W. B. Short/G. G. Lancaster, 1 October 1944 * Officer-in-Charge Second U.S. Naval Construction Regiment (Milne Bay) Paul L. A. Keiser, 4 October 1944 * Rear Admiral Joseph F. Jelley, Commander, 10th Naval Construction Brigade, October 10, 1956 (for Kwajalein) * ROICC Okinawa Award – 1964 "Contractor of the Month". June 1964, First time that this award was given to a Seabee battalion prior was only presented to civilian construction contractors. * COMCBPAC Letter of Commendation, June 1965 * OIC CBPAC Detachment Thailand – 1967, Seabee Team 1109 * Dept. of the Army, HQ XXIV Corps, November 5, 1969 (Vietnam)

List of commanding officers

Notes

References

External links

B29 "Lucky leven" no records have been found indicating that this was or was not a " seabee sponsored aircraft"

NAVDOCKS-100, January 1944, U.S. Naval Construction Battalion Administration ManualNMCB 11 Fleet webpage
search "deployment completion reports"
William Bradford Huie: From Omaha to Okinawa- The Story of the Seabees 1945
{{Portal bar, World War II Seabee battalions of the United States Navy Military units and formations of the Iraq War United States Navy in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)