If It weren't for the SeaBees ...

[Mark Allen M]

NAVY SEABEE OPERATIONS
PACIFIC THEATER DURING
WORLD WAR II

A friend sent me this today. Some may find it interesting. Give it a few seconds to load up for you as it's a pdf file.

https://web.mst.edu/~rogersda/american& ... ug2011.pdf

[MacHarvard]

Mark, for all I have enjoyed your profusion of aircraft photo postings, this publication is a staggering piece of information. I am ashamed to admit that I never gave much thought to the Seabees, after having watched John Wayne's 'Fighting Seabees' as a kid.

I had absolutely no idea just how versatile they were and how many different project types they were able to take on and complete. Their technology defies the imagination and they are proof positive of the concept of necessity being the mother of invention.

Thanks once again for improving my education.

Doug

[Craig59]

Thank you for sharing this, Mark. The more I learn about WWII - things like the segmented pontoon - the more I realize how we won the war can pretty much be summed up in one word...logistics.

[seabee1526]

[Mark Allen M]

One of the very best Seabee sites out there. Allow lots of time to explore the albums.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/usnavysea ... 6835974265

[Dave Downs]

My step-dad was an 18 year old Seabee on Okinawa, he had some funny stories................

[old iron]

One of my favorite movie scenes anywhere is from "The Best Years of Our Lives," which won Oscar Best Picture honors in 1947.

The scene is of Al, who was a relatively mature sergeant in the Pacific whose military duties were primarily office work, now returned to his pre-war bank job where he handles loans. A young applicant who wants to start a farm has no collateral, and thus no chance for a loan. They make small talk as veterans will do. The applicant cites a list of islands were he was engaged. Al thinks this cannot be, as no one unit saw action in all these locations. The applicant was in the SeaBees, who cleared obstructions prior to the landings; Al gives him the loan...

[ZRX61]

They did quite a bit in Vietnam too.