Naval Construction Battalion Center is a

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

industrial complex located in

Gulfport, Mississippi Gulfport ( ) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States, and its co-county seat. It had a population of 72,926 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Mississippi, second-most populous ...

. It serves as home base for the Atlantic Fleet

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

, which are the Navy's construction battalions.

Mission

The mission of the Naval Construction Battalion Center (CBC) Gulfport is:

History

On June 2, 1942, an Advanced Base Depot was established in Gulfport and the first Seabees arrived.Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport
Retrieved 2012-08-04 Defense planning during the early years of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

called for a deep-water

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

to serve the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

region. Gulfport had the necessary port facility, as well as a

semi-tropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones immediately to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 3 ...

climate for year-round training and shipping. A school was set up for Battalions passing through to be trained for the

Malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

and

Epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of hosts in a given population within a short period of time. For example, in meningococcal infection ...

Control Group of BUMED. Also assigned to Gulfport was one of the Navy's three Naval Armed Guards Training Centers. HQ for the Navy's Armed Guards was in New Orleans. The Armed Guards manned the deck guns of Merchant vessels under contract to the Navy. On March 21, 1944, Camp Hollyday was disestablished and the base changed to a Naval Training Center for ratings in basic engineering,

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

, and electrician. The electrician school was 17 weeks. In 1946 the Training Center was decommissioned. On 23 October 1945

Bureau of Yards and Docks The Bureau of Yards and Docks (abbrev.: BuDocks) was the branch of the United States Navy responsible from 1842 to 1966 for building and maintaining navy yards, drydocks, and other facilities relating to ship construction, maintenance, and repai ...

(BuDocks) transferred the base to the

Bureau of Supplies and Accounts The Bureau of Supplies and Accounts (BuSandA) was the United States Navy's supply organization between 1892 and 1966. Established in 1842 as the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing, the bureau was responsible for the procurement, receipt, storage, ...

.Building the Navy's Bases in World War II, History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps, 1940-1946, Volume II, p.119, UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON, 194

/ref> The complex was re-designated a Naval Storehouse facility for stockpiling

bauxite Bauxite () is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...

tin Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin makes a sound, the ...

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

sisal Sisal (, ; ''Agave sisalana'') is a species of flowering plant native to southern Mexico, but widely cultivated and naturalized in many other countries. It yields a stiff fibre used in making rope and various other products. The sisal fiber is ...

and

abacá Abacá ( ; ), also known as Manila hemp, is a species of banana, ''Musa textilis'', endemic to the Philippines. The plant grows to , and averages about . The plant has great economic importance, being harvested for its fiber extracted from t ...

. In 1952, the Naval Storehouse was disestablished with the base transferred back to BuDocks. It was then designated as a U.S. Naval Construction Battalion Center. In the mid-1960s, there was an increasing need for naval construction forces in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. To meet that need, the Naval Construction Battalion Center expanded in both military and civilian personnel and continued to serve as a training facility through the latter half of the 20th century.During the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, NCBC Gulfport was the largest storage site in the United States for

Agent Orange Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide and defoliant, one of the tactical uses of Rainbow Herbicides. It was used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1971. T ...

prior to shipment to

. In 1968, the base received 68,700 55-gallon barrels of herbicide for shipment to Vietnam.The History, Use, Disposition and Environmental Fate of Agent Orange, Chapt 7:MONITORING STUDIES OF FORMER AGENT ORANGE STORAGE SITES IN MISSISSIPPI AND JOHNSTON ISLAND, Alvin L. Young, Springer Publishing, 2008,

/ref> Long-term storage of barrels began in 1969 and lasted until 1977. The storage site was in size and was still being cleaned up in 2013.Agent Orange clean at Navy Seabee base is the focus at public meeting, reported by Natalie Campen, WLOX TV, Gulfport, Ms , July 9, 2013 at 3:04 PM CD

/ref>

Hurricanes Camille and Katrina

In 1969, before, during, and after the landfall of

Hurricane Camille Hurricane Camille was a powerful, deadly and destructive tropical cyclone which became the second most intense on record to strike the United States (behind the 1935 Labor Day hurricane) and is one of the four Category 5 hurricanes to make ...

, 1700 Seabees from NCBC Gulfport helped the surrounding communities prepare for and recover from the hurricane. NCBC served as a recovery center providing a staging site for over 500

Georgia Power Georgia Power is an electric utility headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was established as the Georgia Railway and Power Company and began operations in 1902 running streetcars in Atlanta as a successor to the Atlanta Consol ...

repairmen and highway crews. Damage to the base was extensive with 25 structures completely destroyed. The Governor of Mississippi tasked the NCBC with the recovery of the area from Gulfport to west of Bay St. Louis.Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 121, NHHC, Seabee Museum Archives, Port Hueneme, C

/ref> That area was ground zero for Camille's landfall.

Pass Christian Pass Christian (), nicknamed The Pass, is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 6,307 at the 2019 census. History Pre-European histor ...

was assigned to the 121st CB with the battalion setting up camp there, working round the clock in two 12-hour shifts. The military and civilian personnel received numerous medals and commendations from the Navy and local officials. When it was over the NCBC and CBs 74 and 121 all received

Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy and United States Coast Guard unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy A navy, naval force, military m ...

s. Mississippi Governor

John Bell Williams John Bell Williams (December 4, 1918 – March 25, 1983) was an American Democratic politician who represented Mississippi in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1968 and served as the 55th governor of Mississippi from 1968 to 1972. ...

declared October 31, 1969 as "Seabees Awards Day".On August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina arrived at Gulfport for a two-day stay. The congressional appropriations to repair the damages of those two days was 277.2 million dollars for the NCBC and

Stennis Space Center The John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) is a NASA rocket testing facility in Hancock County, Mississippi, United States, on the banks of the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River at the Mississippi–Louisiana border. , it is NASA ...

. "Seabee commanders integrated into Gulf Coast county emergency operations centers (EOCs) during the Katrina recovery and helped elected officials prioritize recovery work and align assets for response. These efforts were indicative of the working relationship that has always existed between the Seabees and the Gulf Coast community, according to CBC Commanding Officer Capt. George E. Eichert." All military personnel attached to the NCBC during the recovery received the

Armed Forces Service Medal The Armed Forces Service Medal (AFSM) is a military award of the United States military that was created on January 11, 1996, by President Bill Clinton under . The AFSM is a deployed service medal that is presented to those service members who ...

and the

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 (incl ...

Hurricane Katrina Responders Recognized, Story Number: NNS060227-01Release Date: 2/27/2006 11:01:00 AM, By Journalist 1st Class (SW) Rob Wesselman, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 Public Affair

/ref> All the civilians employed by the NCBC received the

Armed Forces Civilian Service Medal The Armed Forces Civilian Service Medal (AFCSM) is established to recognize the contributions and accomplishments of the U.S. Department of Defense Awards and decorations of the United States government, civilian workforce who directly support the ...

. In the first decade of the 21st century, the center was serving more than 4,000 active duty personnel and their families, plus approximately 1,000

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

civilian personnel. In 2015, Cheryl Hansen became the first female commander of the Naval Construction Battalion Center. In 2023, the base built a wall of

shipping containers A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated boxes. In the context of ...

inside its fence to prevent stray bullets from getting to base housing and base buildings. In late 2022, bullets entered the base from a non-Navy housing development, causing damage to buildings and endangering personnel and families. Other incidents followed.There Is so Much Gun Violence in One Mississippi Neighborhood That This Navy Base Piled up Shipping Containers to Defend Itself From Stray Bullets
Kenneth Niemeyer,

Business Insider ''Business Insider'' (stylized in all caps: BUSINESS INSIDER; known from 2021 to 2023 as INSIDER) is a New York City–based multinational financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Inside ...

Military.com Military.com is a website that provides news and information about the United States military, service members, veterans, and their families as well as foreign policy and broader national security issues. Founded in 1999, the site has been a divi ...

, 2023-06-19Gulfport Seabee Base using shipping containers to shield base housing from gunfire

WLOX WLOX (channel 13) is a television station licensed to Biloxi, Mississippi, United States, serving the Mississippi Gulf Coast as an affiliate of ABC and CBS. It is owned by Gray Media alongside low-power MeTV affiliate WTBL-LD (channel 51) ...

, 2023-02-04

Home-port to

*Naval Construction Group TWO *22nd Naval Construction Regiment * Naval Mobile Construction Battalion ONE *

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11 Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11 (NMCB 11) is a United States Navy Construction Battalion, otherwise known as a Seabee (US Navy), Seabee Battalion, presently home-ported at the Naval Construction Battalion Center (Gulfport, Mississippi). ...

*Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 14 *

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 (NMCB 133) is a United States Navy Construction Battalion, otherwise known as a Seabee (US Navy), Seabee battalion, homeported at the Naval Construction Battalion Center (Gulfport, Mississippi). The unit ...

References

External links