Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 (NMCB 133) 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, homeported 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 ...

(aka: Naval Mobile Construction Battalion One Three Three or One Thirty Three). The unit was formed during

WWII 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 133rd Naval Construction Battalion. It saw action and was decommissioned shortly after the war ended. The unit was reactivated as Mobile Construction Battalion 133 for the

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 ...

and remains an active unit today.

History

WWII – Iwo Jima: 133 Naval Construction Battalion

133 Divers setting pre-cast concrete in a seaplane ramp on Oahu

133rd Camp with mount Suribachi in background

The unit's history began on 17 September 1943 at

Camp Peary Camp Peary is an approximately 9,000 acre U.S. military reservation in York County near Williamsburg, Virginia. Officially referred to as an Armed Forces Experimental Training Activity (AFETA) under the authority of the Department of Defense, ...

, Virginia, where it was commissioned as the 133rd

Naval Construction Battalion , colors = , mascot = Bumblebee , battles = Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Cape Gloucester, Los Negros, Guam, Peleliu, Tarawa, Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima, Philip ...

(NCB). After 7 months of training at Davisville, Gulfport and Port Hueneme the battalion's first overseas assignment was NAS Honolulu,

Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory ( Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 30, 1900, until August 21, 1959, when most of its territory, excluding ...

(May–October 1944). While there, the battalion's demolitions men were tasked with scuttling the

USS Baltimore (C-3) The fourth USS ''Baltimore'' (C-3) (later CM-1) was a United States Navy cruiser, the fifth protected cruiser to be built by an American yard. Like the previous one, , the design was commissioned from the British company of W. Armstrong, Mitc ...

15 miles offshore. The battalion created a concrete pre-cast yard that became the sole supplier of pre-cast for all the battalions and was one of the busiest places on the island. In July the battalion sent a small pontoon detachment to take part in the

Battle of Peleliu The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II by the US military, was fought between the United States and Japan during the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign of World War II, from September 15 to November 27, 1944, on the island of ...

. Some of the men came under heavy mortar fire evacuating U.S. Army troops at one point. On 15 October 1944 word was received that the battalion was going to be attached to the

4th Marine Division The 4th Marine Division is a reserve division in the United States Marine Corps. It was raised in 1943 for service during World War II, and subsequently fought in the Pacific against the Japanese. Deactivated after the war, the division was re-fo ...

. On 30 October the assignment came for

Operation Detachment The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA ...

Iwo Jima Iwo Jima (, also ), known in Japan as , is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands and lies south of the Bonin Islands. Together with other islands, they form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The highest point of Iwo Jima is Mount Suribachi at high. ...

. D-day was planned for 19 February 1945. When 133 was attached to the 4th it was filling a billet that had been vacated when the 121st CB was released by the Marine Corps. The 121st CB had been transferred to the Marine Corps and re-designated as the 3rd Battalion of the

20th Marine Regiment 20th Marine Regiment was a Composite Engineer Regiment of the United States Marine Corps that fought during World War II.U.S. Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle Fleet Marine Force Ground Units, Rottman p. 220''/ref> Subordinate units T ...

. After the assault of Tinian the 20th Marines were inactivated. Then both the 1st battalion (4th Engineers) and 2nd battalion ( 4th Pioneers) were placed under Divisional control. Third battalion 3/20 or the 121st, was returned to the Navy creating the vacancy 133 was posted to. Before joining the 4th at Camp Maui, the 133rd was put through the Army's Pacific Jungle Combat Training Center (CTC) at Punaluu and Kahana Valleys on the north shore of Oahu, TH.''Rainmakers Log''
Commander R.P. Murphy, Leo Hart Co. Rochester, N.Y. 1945, p. 96 It was a unit level training center to supplement Army Ranger and Army Combat training Schools. Camp Maui was located nearby at Haiku-Pauwela. The 133rd was the first unit to complete the course without a casualty according to their cruisebook. Once assigned to the division the battalion had each company "tasked" to a different element of the 23rd Marines for shore party training. The battalion's (sp) assignment was to provide the beach support required by the forward lines of the 23rd, 24th, and 25th Marines. The division shipped out for Island "X" on 31 December with

V Amphibious Corps The V Amphibious Corps (VAC) was a formation of the United States Marine Corps which was composed of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions in World War II. The three divisions were the amphibious landing force for the United States Fifth Fleet ...

( VAC) as T.U. 56.2.2 of Baker Landing Group. Baker group was commanded by Major General C.B. Cates(USMC) 4th Marine Division. When they were a few days out the men learned they were heading to a place they had never heard of called Iwo Jima. The assault for Iwo was based upon Tinian where the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions assault had been "reinforced" by Marine Engineering Regiments with the 18th and 121st CBs as 3rd battalions of the 18th and 20th Marines. On D+3 the Jap airfield was secured and the Seabees had it operational in a few hours.(the Iwo Jima landing map is notated that the Marine Corps planned to have control of Iwo Jima in 3 days also) For Iwo, the 4th and 5th Marine Divisions were "reinforced" by the 133rd and 31st CBs. Marine Corps landing maps indicate that for O-1 (objective Day 1) Motoyama Airfield No. 1 would be secured with the 133rd tasked to get it operational.History of the U.S. Marine Corps in WWII Vol IV- Western Pacific Operations, George W. Garand & Truman R. Strobridge, Historical Branch, G3- Division, Headquarters, U.S.Marine Corps, 1971. pp. 594–59

/ref> However, D+5 the assignment was given to the 31st CB due to the losses 133 had suffered. The next day the 62nd CB from V Corps, landed with the

3rd Marine Division The 3rd Marine Division is a division of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Courtney, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan. It is one of three active duty infantry divisions in the Marine Corps and together with th ...

and was designated the lead Battalion for Airfield No. 1. The 31st was assigned Airfield No. 2 and the 133rd was given Airfield No. 3. In just seven days the heavy equipment of the 3 combined battalions had Airfield No. 1 operational. The 133rd CB and the 4th Marine Pioneer Battalion were the primary units of the "Assault" shore parties for the 23rd and 25th Regimental Combat Teams (RCT) on the 4th Marine Division's yellow and blue beaches.Appendix 1, Annex DOG 4th Marine Division Operations Report, April 1945, National Archives, College Park, MD 20742, pp. 1–37 open pdf -Part_6 and pdf -Part_7 for Appendix 1 Annex Do

/ref> The 4th Marine Division's single Pioneer (military), Pioneer Battalion was assigned to the 25th RCT. USMC tactical operations required another Pioneer battalion for the 23rd RCT's Assault. The 121st CB had been tasked as such at

Roi-Namur Roi-Namur ( ) is an island in the north part of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Today it is a major part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, hosting several radar systems used for tracking and characterizing missi ...

, Siapan, and Tinian so giving that task to the 133rd was simply standard 4th Marine Division operations.U.S. Army in World War II, Campaign in the Marianas, Chapter VII, Phiilip A. Crowel, U.S.Army, 1959. p. 12

/ref> Tasking Seabees for USMC shore party at Iwo was a fortuitous decision for the Corps. The CBs brought organic elements the Marines did not have, specifically,

bulldozer A bulldozer or dozer (also called a crawler) is a large, motorized machine equipped with a metal blade to the front for pushing material: soil, sand, snow, rubble, or rock during construction work. It travels most commonly on continuous track ...

s with

winch A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in (wind up) or let out (wind out) or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope or wire rope (also called "cable" or "wire cable"). In its simplest form, it consists of a spool (or drum) attache ...

es and D8s 132–148 Hp compared to the Marine Corp's TD 18s 72–80 Hp. Afterwards, the after action reports recommended all USMC bulldozers be equipped with winches as they had none. The history is, that "on the beach at Iwo, bulldozers proved to be worth their weights in

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

" and the CBs had the biggest and the best the Navy could provide. The entire 1st Battalion 24th Marines (1/24) replacement draft that was attached to the 133rd. The Landing Force Shore Party Commander was OIC of the 8th Marine Field Depot. The 8th Field Depot assigned a squad to liaison with each shore party by beach color. Each shore party had Marine JASCO (Joint Assault Communications Co) men attached as well as personnel from the 442nd U.S. Army Port Company. Hq Co was posted to the 23rd Marines support group and was the Hq for yellow beaches 1 and 2. They came ashore at 1445 from the APA 196 –

USS Logan USS ''Logan'' (APA-196) was a of the United States Navy, named for counties in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Dakota, and West Virginia. The ''Haskell''-class design, United States Maritime Commission stand ...

. The company had two 30 man infantry security sections plus two 30 cal. machine guns on the beach defense parameter until their ratings were needed. The

medic A medic is a person involved in medicine such as a medical doctor, medical student, paramedic or an emergency medical responder. Among physicians in the UK, the term "medic" indicates someone who has followed a "medical" career path in postgradu ...

s had one Dr.

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another Dr., the Dentist and six corpsmen were made casualties by a single shell. Even so, 133's corpsman established an evacuation station on blue 1. Also with Hq Co. was a 32-man team from the 8th Marine Depot Company to manage the depots on yellow beaches. * On D+2 yellow beach was closed to landing craft due to all the destroyed or inoperable equipment along the water's edge. UDT 14 was assigned to beaches yellow 1 and 2 and was ordered back ashore to get the waters edge clear for landing craft to continue the assault. By the afternoon of D+2 half of the 28 CEC on the beach had been killed, wounded or evacuated. On blue 100% of the corpsmen were casualties. On D+4 the 133rd and UDTs were working together to get it done. A Co was the major component of the shore party posted to 1st Battalion 23rd Marines or 1/23 which was the left "Assault" battalion for yellow beach. D-day they landed a 0935 on yellow beach 1 from APA 158 – USS NewberryFox Annex 4th Marine Div. Op Report, RCT 23 Operation Report, Section V, Comments and Recommendations, p.67/24

/ref> and LSM 206. A Co 4th Pioneers was split in two to share their combat experience/knowledge and was attached to A Co 133.Annex FOX 4th Marine Div. Op Report for the 23rd RCT on Iwo Jima p.

/ref> One of A Co's security sections (30 men) landed in 4 LCVP (United States), LCVPs with one 7-man gun crew and 37mm Gun M3 in each craft. One LCVP took a direct hit killing the entire gun crew. 133's gun crews were immediately tasked with supporting the assault. A Co's other security section landed on the heels of the first wave and were the first Seabees to set foot on Iwo Jima. The Battalion cruisebook states the security section was sent to the front line until their skills were needed on the beach. The USN beach party from the USS Newberry served A Co.Annex FOX 4th Marine Div. Op Report for the 23rd RCT on Iwo Jima p. 11
/ref> Also with A Co was a 32-man beach team from the 8th Marine Depot Company as well as A Co. 24th Marines replacement draft (1/24). * 1/23 was so decimated that 3/23 relieved them from the line by evening of D-day. D+3 the entire 23rd was in such a bad way that it was placed in Corps Reserve, replaced by the 21st RCT from the 3rd Marines. At that time 133's Shore Parties were consolidated on yellow 1 while the 3rd Pioneers landed on yellow 2 for the 21st until D+6. On D+5 the 133rd was given priority status to unload its equipment on yellow and establish a dump to store it. B Co was the major component of the shore party posted to 2nd Battalion 23rd Marines or 2/23 which was the right "Assault" battalion for yellow beach. They also landed at 0935, but on blue 2 from the APA 207 –

USS Mifflin USS ''Mifflin'' (APA-207) was a in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1975. History ''Mifflin'' was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type and was named for Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. She was laid ...

and LSM-202. That beach had a

Homophone A homophone () is a word that is pronounced the same (to varying extent) as another word but differs in meaning. A ''homophone'' may also differ in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example ''rose'' (flower) and ''rose'' (p ...

"Blew to" Hell beach. Mortar fire was so heavy they could not move to yellow 2, but were ordered to because, the situation became critical for the 4th Pioneers that had made it to y2. A Co. 4th Pioneers was split in two to share their combat experience/knowledge and was attached to B Co 133. On D+1 LSM-202 landed 3 D8s and a crane for B Co. B Co's security sections landed the same as A Co and also went forward until needed. The USN beach party from the USS Mifflin was assigned to serve with B Co. Also with B Co was a 32-man beach team from the 8th Marine Depot Company as well as B Co 24th Marines replacement draft. On D+1 the acting Shore Party commander on beach yellow 2 was wounded and command transferred to B Co. Commander 133. * On D-day 133 had demolitions men blasting broached landing craft and the beachmaster put in a request for UDT assistance. C Co was posted to the 3rd Battalion 23rd Marines oro Parties moved to black beach (which was created from the right half of beach red 2 and the left half of yellow 1). A 43-man beach party from the USS Lowndes served with C Co as did C Co. 24th Marines replacement draft. *CB security sections were composed of heavy weapons. They varied a little in size and weapons, but numbered about 40 men with two 30 cal. or 50 cal. machine guns, and 15 two man

BAR Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

teams. When available Seabees favored the

Thompson Thompson may refer to: People * Thompson (surname) * Thompson M. Scoon (1888–1953), New York politician Places Australia *Thompson Beach, South Australia, a locality Bulgaria * Thompson, Bulgaria, a village in Sofia Province Canada * ...

seen in the Seabee logo. D Co was posted to the 4th Pioneer Battalion's reserve. The 25th Marines lists them as the shore party reserve. The 4th Marine Div. Operations Report has them on APA 190 the USS Pickens. The 25th had just 2 LSMs assigned to the Shore Party so D Co's equipment would have been on LSTs. They landed at 1600 on beach blue 2. The record says some were "tactically disposed" without identifying them as the security section and the balance were told to dig in. Of the assault beaches blue was the worst. It was overlooked by an adjacent

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...

whose walls were honeycombed with tunnels. The pre-assault

bombardment A bombardment is an attack by artillery fire or by dropping bombs from aircraft on fortifications, combatants, or towns and buildings. Prior to World War I, the term was only applied to the bombardment of defenseless or undefended objects, ...

had left them intact costing the 25th Marines and D Co. many casualties. The Unit Histories of both the 4th and 5th Marine Divisions state that the conditions on the beach for the (

Red Patch The "Red Patch" is a distinguishing marking worn by United States Marine Corps, United States Marines of the List_of_United_States_Marine_Corps_MOS#04_Logistics, Landing Support Specialist United States military occupation code, MOS. History The r ...

) Shore Parties and the (yellow patch) USN Beach Parties were worse than the front lines. D-day all personnel were initially employed to aid the evacuation of casualties. From D-day until D+5 the men were on duty 24 hrs a day. To get sleep men would go up to the front lines where it was safer. D+5 to D+8 work was 4 hrs on 4 hrs off. From D+8 to D+14 work was 4 hrs on 8 hrs off. On D+14 it changed to straight 8 hr shifts. The corpsman, security sections, equipment operators and truck drivers were on call at all times, from the beginning to the end of the assault. On D+18 (9 March) 133's Companies were relieved by the Army Garrison Shore Party. The battalion reorganized and returned to the Navy. The battle for Iwo Jima took 26 days. In that time 133 suffered 328 casualties, with 3 officers and 39 enlisted

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 ...

and 2

. It was the price paid for being ordered into USMC fatigues and landing battalion strength in an assault tasked as a USMC Pioneer Battalion. Their losses were the most any Seabee unit has ever suffered. The battalion was awarded 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 ...

the same as the other 3 shore party battalions: 4th Marine Pioneers, 5th Marine Pioneers and 31st CB. However, the unit is not listed as tasked in the NUC Section of the Iwo Jima awards.The United States Marines on Iwo Jima- The Battle and the Flag Raisings
Bernard C. Nalty & Danny J. Crawford, History & Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Washington, D.C. 1995. (133's Award protocol error is on- p. 26) (''see correct listing 4th and 5th Pioneers same page'') It should read as the 23rd Marines described in their Ops report: "133rd CB (less Companies A, B, C,and D)". This is how the 4th and 5th Pioneer Battalions were listed. Had A, B, C and D Companies been listed the same, they also would appear in the PUC section for being assigned to their respective "assault" battalions 1/23, 2/23, 3/23 and 2/25. exactly as the Pioneer Companies were for their PUC's. The 4th Marine Division did not follow protocol and put the entire Battalion up for the PUC. The 4th Marine Division's 1st Endorsement letter dated 17 September 1945 has the entire Battalion listed for the PUC. All four shore party battalions were designated "support" so the battalion was automatically rejected. It was the individual companies that were tasked as "assault". In October the 1st Endorsement Letter was changed by the recommendation that the battalion be dropped from the PUC while A, B, C Companies were then listed in the "assault troops" column for PUCs. The USMC ground commanders felt every man that set foot on the island during the assault should get a Presidential Unit Citation or PUC. The USMC awards people said that would diminish the status of the PUC, but after a year had not completed the unit awards. At which point Marine

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

Gen. Vandergrift went to Navy Secretary Forrestal with the idea that the PUC be given to "assault" units and the NUC to those designated "support". Fox Annex to the 4th Marine Division's Operations Report, of April 1945, shows 133's Companies individually tasked to "assault" infantry battalions. Forrestal agreed, but in doing so he removed the words "and all those attached to or serving with" from the Iwo Jima PUC. The PUC was created be

Executive Order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of th ...

9050. It takes another Executive Order to change an existing Executive Order and there is no authorization in the record for removing the words changing award protocol. In addition to 328

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 ...

s, 133's men received 10

Bronze Star 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 ...

s and 29 Marine Corps Commendations. Before that happened the battalion

crushed Crushed may refer to: * "Crushed" (''Ms. Marvel''), a 2022 episode of the American television series ''Ms. Marvel'' * "Crushed" (Roland Lee Gift song) a 2009 single by Roland Lee Gift * "Crushed" (''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' episode), an ...

over 100,000 tons of

volcanic rock Volcanic rock (often shortened to volcanics in scientific contexts) is a rock formed from lava erupted from a volcano. In other words, it differs from other igneous rock by being of volcanic origin. Like all rock types, the concept of volcanic r ...

, moved over 1 million

cubic yard Cubic may refer to: Science and mathematics * Cube (algebra), "cubic" measurement * Cube, a three-dimensional solid object bounded by six square faces, facets or sides, with three meeting at each vertex ** Cubic crystal system, a crystal system ...

s of

volcanic soil The soil composition of vineyards is one of the most important viticultural considerations when planting grape vines. The soil supports the root structure of the vine and influences the drainage levels and amount of minerals and nutrients that the ...

, laid 5,800 feet of sewer line, installed 4,000 feet of

electrical conduit An electrical conduit is a tube used to protect and route electrical wiring in a building or structure. Electrical conduit may be made of metal, plastic, fiber, or fired clay. Most conduit is rigid, but flexible conduit is used for some purpos ...

and poured 725 cubic yards of

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

. 133 graded the site and built the entrances for both the 3rd Marine Division and the 4th Marine Division at the cemetery on Iwo. On Iwo Jima 133 had 281 equipment operators working 2 ten hour shifts.Iwo Jima, CEC Bulletin, Vol. 2, April 1948 No. 17, BuDocks, Dept of the Navy, Washington DC 25, pp. 108-1

/ref> Besides being tasked with construction of airfield No.3 the battalion set up a hotmix asphalt plant. 133 equipment operators laid the longest runway in the Pacific, 1.86 miles long x 200'. By VJ-day they had laid the equivalent of 55 miles of 2 lane highway. USN WWII phonetic alphabet used to identify individual Companies: A = Able, B = Baker, C = Charlie, D = Dog * Annex Fox to the 4th Marine Division's Ops Report states that the Navy did not relinquish operational control of the USN beach parties to the USMC shore parties. * Postwar NAS Honolulu eventually became

Honolulu International Airport Daniel K. Inouye International Airport , also known as Honolulu International Airport, is the main airport of Oahu, Hawaii.USN press release, 4/12/1945, John B. GRIFFIN S1c, CB Overseas Correspondent, 8th Naval Construction Regiment, Seabee Museum, Port Hueneme, Ca.9 * Warrant Gunner Carl H. Gerlach Ord. Company 4th Marine Div. "I saw Seabees of the 133rd carry ammo to marines on the front lines until we could set up a dump behind the lines. I understand they were under fire for the first time. The work I saw done by members of the battalion was as fine an example of Seabee "Can Do" as will ever be turned in by any outfit." *Col. Shelton Scales Commander 3rd Bn 23rd Marines recommended 133 for the PUC. His statements were documented in an interview with LtCol.

Oliver North Oliver Laurence North (born October 7, 1943) is an American political commentator, television host, military historian, author, and retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel. A veteran of the Vietnam War, North was a National Secu ...

for War Stories. * Lt. General Snowden USMC (commanded Company I, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines) recommended 133 for the PUC to the Board for Correction of the Naval Record. On 28 September 1945 the 9th Construction Brigade informed 8, 31, and 133 NCBs that they were detached from the 41st Construction Regiment on Iwo Jima and would act independently until reassigned. In October some of 133's men went with the 31st CB to

Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is also the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. On 1 June 2019, the city had an estimated population of 247,739 and a population density of 581 persons p ...

, Japan for the occupation reconstruction (and were discharged at Bremerton Naval Yard, in Washington state January 1946). In late November 1945 the 133rd was moved to Guam. On 1 December, it took over the work orders of the decommissioned 25th CB. The same fate awaited the 133rd later that month on the 27th due to the reduced need for the existing Naval Construction force.

Disney Insignia and unit nickname

The 133rd that landed on Iwo Jima had an insignia drawn by Hank Porter at the Walt Disney Studios Insignia Department. Porter was Disney's top insignia designer. Carpenter Second class Jack E. Dorn – 3rd platoon D Co. sent a request to the Disney Studios on 9 December 1944 from Camp Maui, TH. The Studios received it on 26 December and sent the completed design in June 1945. The battalion received Porter's drawing on Iwo Jima.. That insignia was of a Seabee walking, carrying a hammer and monkey wrench while chewing his oats. It takes up an entire page in the battalion's cruise book.''Rainmakers Log'', Commander R.P. Murphy, Leo Hart Co, Rochester, N.Y. 1946 p.

/ref> "Rain-Makers" was the moniker the battalion used as it was felt it rained everywhere they went. "Rained-how it Rained" is the description used in one 4th Marine Division narrative of Camp Maui living conditions. On Iwo Jima it rained on D+2. The battalion used "Rain-Makers" as the cover title of the unit cruise-book, published in 1946.

Vietnam, MCB 133

The battalion was reactivated 12 August 1966 in Gulfport, Mississippi, as a Mobile Construction Battalion. It seems the battalion did not have a copy of the unit History from WWII with the Disney insignia and there was a belief that the battalion's first deployment was supposed to have been Australia. This belief produced the Kangaroo insignia and the slogan "Kangaroo Can Do".(most CBs created a new insignia when they were recommissioned) After completion of training in Gulfport and Camp Lejeune they deployed to

Đà Nẵng 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 ...

East, Vietnam. The battalion was awarded its second Navy Unit Commendation for that tour. The second deployment to Nam took them to

Phu Bai Combat Base Phu Bai Combat Base (also known as Phu Bai Airfield and Camp Hochmuth) is a former U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps base south of Huế, in central Vietnam. History 1962-5 The Army Security Agency, operating under cover of the 3rd Radio Resea ...

. This time they had a huge project laying 10,000 sheets on matting at that airfield. 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, 10, 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 and disbanded 1 November 1967. A "High Priority" in 1968 was roadwork on Route 1, the length of Vietnam. In addition to NMCB 133, CBs 1, 4, 7, 8, 11, 53, 58, 62, 71, 74,and 138 all worked concurrently on it. In 1969 the third deployment was to Camp Wilkinson, at Gia Le, 6 miles southeast of

Hue In color theory, hue is one of the main properties (called Color appearance model#Color appearance parameters, color appearance parameters) of a color, defined technically in the CIECAM02 model as "the degree to which a Stimulus (physiology ...

. A large project that time was the repair of the 286-foot center span of the main highway bridge damaged during the

Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. It was launched on January 30, 1968 by forces of the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) against the forces o ...

. The battalion, along with NMCB 128, provided material support to NMCBs 1 and 11 while they repaired the bridge at Bau Phu on Route 1. At Phu Bai Combat Base MCB 1 had a crew assisting 133 laying asphalt there. * In 1968 military training was 2 weeks in Gulfport and 4 weeks at Camp Lejuene * In March 1968 men of MCB 121 took possession of an abandoned non-operational

M24 Chaffee The M24 Chaffee (officially Light Tank, M24) was an American light tank used during the later part of World War II; it was also used in post–World War II conflicts including the Korean War, and by the French in the War in Algeria and the Firs ...

tank. When 133 relieved the 121st the M-24 became theirs. * 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 "NMCB" used by 133 currently. * On 18 August 1969, just two months after the battalion deployed,

Hurricane Camille Hurricane Camille was the second most intense tropical cyclone on record to strike the United States, behind the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. The most intense storm of the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season, Camille originated as a tropical depression ...

made landfall 20 miles west of CBC Gulfport at Waveland, MS. It would be another 5 months before the men could get home to help their families recover. * In 1969 the battalion had two Seabee Teams 13303 and 13304 In 1970 the battalion did a tour where the sun never set on it. It deployed to Okinawa with detachments to: Guam,

Biên Hòa Air Base Bien Hoa Air Base (Vietnamese: ''Sân bay Biên Hòa'') is a Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about from Ho Chi Minh City, across the Dong Nai river in the northern ward of Tân Phon ...

, Vietnam, Azores and the Aleutians. This was followed by a deployment of firsts. They were the first Atlantic fleet Battalion to serve as the alert Battalion for the Pacific Fleet. From Okinawa they had detachments to Iwakuni, Japan, Oahu, Hawaii, Biên Hòa, Vietnam and Subic Bay, P.I. 1970 was the transitional year for Seabee involvement in Vietnam. From then on their deployed strength was drawn down and 133 did not deploy there again. * NMCB 133 Cruise-books 1967–1977 * Commander Naval Construction Battalion U.S. Pacific Fleet, Tân Sơn Nhất, Republic of Vietnam, Completion Report 1963–1972. Seabee Team

During the 1973 Okinawa Deployment, the battalion lost two Officers in an ambush in the Philippines to unknown assailants. Commanding Officer Cdr. L.R. Dobler and Lt. Jefferies PI OIC. Also killed was Capt. T. Mitchell Commander 30th NCR (Naval Construction Regiment). Also during that deployment Camp Shields was hit by 1973 Pacific typhoon season, Category II Typhoon Iris.

Iraq

In March 1991 the battalion deployed to Spain. On 1 April it was ordered to send its AirDet to

Zakho Zakho, also spelled Zaxo ( ku, زاخۆ, Zaxo, syr, ܙܵܟ݂ܘܿ, Zākhō, , ) is a city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, at the centre of the eponymous Zakho District of the Dohuk Governorate, located a few kilometers from the Iraq–Turkey bo ...

, Iraq. Three weeks later orders came to recall all detachments. The Battalion had been tasked as a component of

Operation Provide Comfort Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations initiated by the United States and other Coalition nations of the Persian Gulf War, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurdish refugees fleeing their homes in northern ...

and was to move forward to link up with the AirDet. This took the battalion to Zakho assigned to the Army's 18th Engineer Brigade. When 133 mounted out of Rota its equipment was sent by sea to Iskenderum, Turkey. From there it was convoyed 400 miles to Zakho. NMCB 133's base was established in a walled compound called Camp Sommers along with the headquarters of the

24th Marine Expeditionary Unit The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24th MEU) is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) with a strength of about 2 ...

(MEU) and the 18th Engineer Brigade. Operation Provide Comfort had two Joint Task Forces with JTF Bravo headed by the 24th MEU. Due to the amount of work they were tasked with, the battalion went to 12-hour days. It was an emergency service relief effort that originally was thought would take 3 months. However, due to the large number of Kurds returning home from the refugee-displaced person camps, 133 was able leave after 8 weeks.

Bosnia

December 1995 into 1996, in support of the

Implementation Force The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename ''Operation Joint Endeavour''. Background NATO ...

(IFOR) code named

Operation Joint Endeavour The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename ''Operation Joint Endeavour''. Background NATO ...

an Air Det Heavy of 170 men deployed to the

Sava River The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally t ...

crossing at Zupanja,

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. There they constructed the first and very urgently needed

displaced person Forced displacement (also forced migration) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a result of persecution, conflict, g ...

s tent camp of the Implementation Force. Renovation of the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Commander's facilities in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

was one project. Detail Juliet Echo was assigned the construction of camps for the US Army's 16th Corps Support Group in Croatia and the 1st Armored Division's ready 1st Combat Team in

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

. 1997

Korean Air Lines Korean Air Co., Ltd. (), operating as Korean Air (Korean Air Lines before 1984), is the flag carrier of South Korea and its largest airline based on fleet size, international destinations and international flights. The present-day Korean Air ...

flight 801 crashed in the jungles of Guam and 133 helped get ground access to the site. In March 1998 the battalion sent a Det of 217 men back to Bosnia to build SEAHuts and do bridge repair work.Seabee Museum Archives, Port Hueneme, CA 93043, NMCB 133 Historical Informatio
NMCB 133 Historical Information
/ref>

Iraq/Afghanistan

On 28 November 2001 the first members of NMCB 133 arrived at

Camp Rhino Forward operating base (FOB) Rhino, also known as Camp Rhino, was a U.S. military base located in the Registan Desert of Afghanistan, southwest of Kandahar. It was the first U.S. land base established in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring F ...

, Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. During this deployment it was decided to make Camp X-Ray operational again and 133 sent the battalion's detail at Roosevelt Roads to Guantanamo Bay to make it happen. January and February 2003 saw the battalion deployed in support of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force operationally assigned to the 1st MEF Engineer Group. In Southern Iraq the battalion created a POW facility for 14,000, provided defense for 2 bridges and maintenance to the main supply routes as part of Task Force Charlie. Task Force Charlie was made up of NMCB-4, NMCB-74, NMCB-133, CBMU-303 and SU-2 and had a base in Kuwait, Camp Moreell. The men also assembled the largest pontoon bridge since WWII, at Zubadiyah, North of

Al Kut Kūt ( ar, ٱلْكُوت, al-Kūt), officially Al-Kut, also spelled Kutulamare or Kut al-Imara, is a city in eastern Iraq, on the left bank of the Tigris River, about south east of Baghdad. the estimated population is about 389,400 people. It ...

, on the Tigris. Another bridge they worked on was the Sarabadi, near Hillah, where they used a

Mabey-Johnson Bridge The Mabey Logistic Support Bridge (in the United States, the Mabey-Johnson Bridge) is a portable pre-fabricated truss bridge, designed for use by military engineering units to upgrade routes for heavier traffic, replace civilian bridges damaged ...

to repair the existing damaged one. The battalion lost a man to a non-combat explosion there from unexploded ordnance. In addition, the battalion completed 60 major Civil Action Projects in Kuwait and Iraq. The unit was active in both

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 ...

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 ...

2005–present

4th Marine Corps Iwo Jima Cemetery Entrance

3rd Marine Corps Iwo Jima Cemetery Entrance

On 29 August 2005

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

made landfall on the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississ ...

. Within a day, the Seabees from NMCBs 1, 7, and 133 NCB were tasked to

Joint Task Force Katrina {{no footnotes, date=December 2016 Joint Task Force Katrina was a joint operation between the United States Department of Defense and the Federal Emergency Management Agency created on September 1, 2005, at Camp Shelby, Mississippi to organize re ...

.Official website
/ref> They were joined by NMCBs 18 and 40 plus ACB 2 and CBMUs 202 and 303. During the mission 133 and the other Seabees provided extensive

humanitarian aid Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by the government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and ...

to the Gulf coast including the homes of their own. "The battalion had 118 who either lost their home entirely or had them damaged beyond repair. That November saw the Battalion deployed to numerous sites across

Southwest Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Anat ...

with dets to

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 ...

and

Whidbey Island Whidbey Island (historical spellings Whidby, Whitbey, or Whitby) is the largest of the islands composing Island County, Washington, in the United States, and the largest island in Washington State. (The other large island is Camano Island, ...

. In Iraq, NMCB 133 supported Marines,

Special Operations 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 ...

and

Iraqi Security Forces The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) is a term used by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to describe law enforcement and military forces of the federal government of the Republic of Iraq. During the Iraq War, these entities received trainin ...

. The Battalion's 2007 deployment went to four continents. The battalion worked in support of

Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) is a joint task force of United States Africa Command (AFRICOM). It originated under Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa (OEF-HOA) as part of the United States response to the Se ...

(CJTF-HOA) building schools in remote villages and making potable water available to the people. A detail assigned to "New Horizons" built schools in rural Belize. NMCB 133 also had a presence in

São Tomé São Tomé is the capital and largest city of the Central African island country of São Tomé and Príncipe. Its name is Portuguese for " Saint Thomas". Founded in the 15th century, it is one of Africa's oldest colonial cities. History Álva ...

, working with Underwater Construction Team ONE (UCT 1) in the reconstruction the

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

only boat launch. The next two deployments were to Iraq and Okinawa. "NMCB 133's Seabees built the foundation for new buildings on White Beach Naval Facility in Okinawa and restored running water to a village in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

that been without this basic life necessity for over three years.

New age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...

power from a

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. ...

and

solar panel A solar cell panel, solar electric panel, photo-voltaic (PV) module, PV panel or solar panel is an assembly of photovoltaic solar cells mounted in a (usually rectangular) frame, and a neatly organised collection of PV panels is called a photo ...

were used to provide power to the pump. At the end of that PACOM tour, the 133 returned to Gulfport, MS for a 15-month homeport and training cycle. In March 2010, the battalion deployed over 600 Seabees to Afghanistan in support of the 30,000 troop surge. NMCB 133 created a camp on

Kandahar Airfield Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport, also referred to as Kandahar International Airport ( ps, د کندهار نړيوال هوايي ډګر) and by some military officials as Kandahar Airfield, KAF) , is located about south-east of the city K ...

(KAF), Afghanistan for their main-body site. The location was an undeveloped gravel bed when they arrived. Within a month, a fully operational Seabee camp was built and with the Army a power generating supply was set up. The list of tasks completed by the Seabees of 133 includes: * drilling a deep well that produces approximately of water per day. * construction of numerous Southwest Asia (SWA) Huts over throughout Afghanistan. * construction of a base electrical grid, shower units, and mess halls. * significant expansion of four forward operating bases perimeter defenses. * construction of numerous crow's nest observation towers. * construction of 3 helo pads. In October 2010, NMCB 133 received the Atlantic Fleet Best of Type Battle "E" award for its work during the

CENTCOM The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Tas ...

deployment. In March 2011, the battalion deployed to Camp Shields, Okinawa. Projects there included the renovation of the galley facility, a concrete storage building at

White Beach Naval Facility White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, installation of concrete drainage ditches, and general camp improvements to Camp Shields. In September 2012, NMCB 133 returned to Afghanistan as the last battalion to deploy to there. During that deployment, the battalion twice broke the NCFs longest convoy record. A bulldozer and a construction crew arrived in Liberia from Djibouti late September 2014. The mission was site preparation near

Monrovia Airport Roberts International Airport , informally also known as ''Robertsfield'', is an international airport in the West African nation of Liberia. Located near the town of Harbel in Margibi County, the single runway airport is about outside of ...

for a dozen or medical facilities to be built by the U.S. military's

Operation United Assistance Operation United Assistance was a 2014 United States military mission to help combat the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, including the part of the epidemic occurring in Liberia. The 101st Airborne Division headquarters was responsible for le ...

to deal with the

Ebola crisis The 2013–2016 epidemic of Ebola virus disease, centered in West Africa, Western Africa, was the most widespread List of Ebola outbreaks, outbreak of the disease in history. It caused major loss of life and Socioeconomics, socioeconomic disr ...

in West Africa. In August 2017, the wreck of the USS Baltimore was located by the

Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory The Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL) is a regional undersea research program within the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology (SOEST) at University of Hawaii at Manoa, in Honolulu. It is considered one of the more important ...

(HURL) south of Oahu.

Unit awards

NMCB 133 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. Service, Campaign, Unit, and Personal. Unit Citations are distinct from the other decorations. The following unit awards are 133's: * Navy Unit Commendation ribbon

: – Iwo Jima *

: with two bronze stars: 1966–67, Aug–Sept 67, 1968 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 (3) *

Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon

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 ...

: – Det A I 1983–84 * Navy Unit Commendation ribbon

: – Det NAS Sigonella 1985OPNAV NOTICE 1650
/ref> * Joint Meritorious Unit Award ribbon

Joint Meritorious Unit Award The Joint Meritorious Unit Award (JMUA) is a US military award that was established on June 4, 1981, by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982. The Joint Meritori ...

: – Operation Provide Comfort 1991 * Navy Unit Commendation ribbon

: – Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina 1996 * United States Navy Presidential Unit Citation ribbon

Presidential Unit Citation : – Iraq 2003 * 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" 13 times. * Peltier Award: – 11 times.

Campaign and service awards

Vietnam Service NMCB 133's Battle Streamer for Vietnam has four bronze stars: the streamer alone counts as the first award. MCB 133 made 3 tours of Vietnam. The conflict was divided into 18 award periods and the battalion qualifies for five. *

American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...

- Territory Hawaii * Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with the Fleet Marine Force insignia and one arrowhead device *

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 ...

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 ...

: – 5 awards * : Det Diego Garcia – Iran/Indian Ocean 12/1978 – 05/1979 * : Iran/Indian Ocean 11/1979 – 07/1980 * : Iran/Indian Ocean 01/1981 – 09/1981 *

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 ...

Vietnam, *

Desert Storm, and War on Terror *

Humanitarian Service Medal The Humanitarian Service Medal (HSM) is a military service medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created on January 19, 1977 by President Gerald Ford under . The medal may be awarded to members of the United States military (includi ...

– Det Fort Allen, 23 Sept 1980 *

–

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...

Cyclone Ofa Severe Tropical Cyclone Ofa was a powerful tropical cyclone that caused severe damage in Polynesia in February of 1990. The system was first noted on January 27, 1990, near Tuvalu, as a shallow tropical depression that had developed within the Sou ...

(100-man Det.) 1990 *

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy. The medal is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who, after ...

Bosnia 1995/96 *

Southwest Asia Service Medal The Southwest Asia Service Medal (SASM or SWASM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by order of President George H.W. Bush on March 12, 1991. The award is intended to recognize those military service members ...

– USA

Hurricane Georges Hurricane Georges () was a powerful and long-lived Cape Verde Category 4 hurricane which caused severe destruction as it traversed the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico in September 1998, making eight landfalls along its path. Georges was the sevent ...

1998 *

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 ...

– USA

2005 *

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 ...

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

133's Seabee Teams

* 13301 - - -

1968 * 13304 - - -

1969 * 13305 - - -

U.S. Navy OP-09819- dated 04/19/77 1970 * 13306 - - -

1970 * 13307 - - -

1970 * 13308 - - -

1970 * 133Det K-

1970–71 * 133Det W

1971–72 * 13314 - - - Letter of Commendation: Secretary of the Navy ** Complete Seabee Teams Report by: Commander Naval Construction Battalion U.S. Pacific Fleet, Tân Sơn Nhất, Republic of Vietnam, Completion Report 1963–197

** 1968 five men received the RVN Gallantry Cross and two the Technical Service Medals from Major General

Ngô Quang Trưởng Ngô Quang Trưởng (13 December 1929 — 22 January 2007) was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). Trưởng gained his commission in the Vietnamese National Army in 1954 and moved up the ranks over the next decade, most ...

, Commander 1st Division ARVN. ** 1969 one Navy & Marine Corps Medal for heroism, one Bronze Star, 14 Purple Hearts, 7 RVN Civic Action Medals and 7 Technical Service Medals **

Fleet Marine Force Combat Operation Insignia The Fleet Marine Force Combat Operation Insignia is a miniature inch bronze United States Marine Corps emblem that may be authorized by the Secretary of the Navy for wear on specific campaign, expeditionary, and service medal ribbons issued to U ...

The device is a "Restricted" USMC device and is designated as a personal award. The men of the 133rd NCB meet the award requirements: "USN under fire while attached to and under USMC operational control".

List of commanding officers

Notes

* On Saipan, the 4th Marine Division assigned the 121st CB and 4th Pioneers as the Shore Party * On Okinawa, the 1st Marine division Shore Party was composed of 1/2 the 11th Special NCB and the 145th NCB, the Shore Party for the 6th Marine Division was composed of the other half of the 11th Special NCB and the 58th NCB. * Prior to the 133rd being assigned as the 23rd's Shore Party the 71st NCB had been tasked as the Shore Party for the 3rd Marine Division on Bouganville in 1943. * " TAD" is contemporary U.S. military terminology that was not used during WWII. During WWII the equivalent terminology was the word "attached". * The shore party of Peleliu painted a three-inch orange circle on their helmets and greens to identify them from or for the other troops. * 1944 Construction Battalion combat organization, NAVDOCKS-100, p.i-

* 17th Special(segregated), 33rd and 73rd CBs were Shore Party with the 1st Pioneers of the 1st Marine Division on Peleliu in 1944. * 25 NCB was Shore Party to the 3rd, 9th and 21st Marine Regiments of the 3rd Marine Division on Guam. * 41st Naval Construction Regiment: 31st, 62nd, 95th, & 133rd CBs * 53rd NCB was Shore Party to the 2nd Raiders on Bougainville and Third Raiders on Puruata Island53rd Naval Construction Battalion, Seabee Museum Archives, Port Hueneme, CA 93043. pp. 14, 10

/ref>

References

External links and further reading

A 133 vet's Iwo account.

* [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/PTO/Iwo/4thMarDivIwoJima/4thMarDivIwoJimaAAR-Annex-Fox.pdf Annex Fox, RCT 23 Operation Report Section V, Comments and Recommendations, (4. Supply) Shore Party, Beach Party, p. 64/248]
Bloodstained Sands: US. Amphibious Operations in World War II, Michael G. Walling, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. 2017. p. 434 (A Co. 133)

Col. Shelton Scales and 133rd NCB": Fighting Seabees of Iwo Jima on "War Stories" YouTube with Lt. Col.

Navy Civil Engineer Corps Bulletin, Vol 2 NAVDOCKS P-2 No 14, January 1948, Iwo Jima

NMCB 133 Command home page

NAVDOCKS-100, January 1944, U.S.Naval Construction Battalion Administration Manual

NMCB 62 Alumni website

William Bradford Huie: From Omaha to Okinawa- The Story of the Seabees 1945, Chapter II, Iwo Jima, p. 27–88

4th Marine Division Operations Report, Iwo Jima

search "deployment completion reports" {{4thMarDiv Seabee battalions of the United States Navy Military units and formations of the Iraq War Units and formations of the United States in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) United States Navy in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)