Seabees in World War II

The United States Naval Construction Battalions (Seabees) were formed on 5 March 1942 during the induction of The United States in World War II. They primarily served the role of construction in service of the logistics of the war, though some Battalions served in Naval Combat Demolition Units, UDTs, Marine Corps Engineers/Pioneers and the top secret Chemical Warfare Service Flame tank Group. First conceived at the Bureau of Yards and Docks (BuDocks) in the 1930s, the onset of hostilities clarified the need for developing advance bases for the logistical burden of wartime.

Primarily beginning as a volunteer force of already skilled trasdeman, the initial maximum age of service in the Seabees was waived to age 50. It was later found that several past 60 had managed to get in. Men were given advanced rank/pay based upon experience making the Seabees the highest-paid group in the U.S. military. The first 60 battalions had an average age of 37. In December 1942, the volunteer enlistments ceased following an Executive order in favor of conscripted unskilled recruits. To facilitate conscripts making up the Seabees, a series of Construction Training Centers with courses in over 60 trades were established.

During the course of the war, the operations of the Seabees were largely denoted by their use of unofficial and unorthodox means of material acquisiton and souvenir making. On 13 February 1945 Chief of Naval Operations, Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, made the Construction Battalions a permanent Naval element.