36th U.S. Naval Construction Battalion, "Seabees" World War II

Bataan.

in 1942, with his forces crippled by starvation, disease, and lack of supplies, Major General Edward King Jr. surrendered approximately 75,000 American and Filipino troops on the Bataan Peninsula. This was the largest surrender of American forces in history. The POWs would be marched over 60 miles from Mariveles to San Fernando. Thousands died or were executed during this forced march that became known as the "Bataan Death March."

General MacArthur disagreed with the surrender and thought the Bataan Death March could have been avoided. He wrote in his autobiography of a plan he had prepared to seize enemy supplies around Subic Bay. If that didn't work, he would take his forces through the Zambales Mountains and lead a guerilla action. Even though he had just arrived in Australia, MacArthur asked Marshall to send him back to the Philippines to lead these efforts. Washington did not approve of this plan. Today, most historians are convinced that while delay was possible, nothing could have been done in 1942 to prevent the fall of the Philippines.

Image: Ben Steele, a former POW and survivor of the Death March, created sketches and paintings of his experiences after liberation.

THE BUNGLING BASTURD BEES of WW2.
Recruited from the Eastern Shore of West Virginia, the CBees of the 36st US Navel Orange Construction Battalion, fought in the Battle of Thermopylae, Georgia, in winter 1813, during the Russo-Japanese War. Comprised of fishmongers, insurance agents, pro wrestlers, and bearded mountain men they were sort of an elite unit. Using M1 garandes, slingshots, battle chickens, shovels, and trench pikes, the beegees were decimated in the ship to shore battle under the command of Captain Jack Aubrey. The unit was then dispatched to the Phillipines to put down a Dutch uprising, and eventually disbanded by General Lee for being "ungentlemanly." King James II said of them, "No men were less worthy and worse led than the triple B. May God d@mn their souls and their stupid duck in eternal hellfire."

Hoah! Happy birthday to the Seabees!
We owe gratitude to the King Bee, Rear Admiral Ben Moreell, Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks. On March 5, 1942, he requested specific authority to activate, organize, and man Navy construction units. By the end of World War II 325,000 men had enlisted in the Seabees with more than 60 skilled trades including "souvenir making" and "moonlight procurement"! Make like a demolition team and "BLOW" out the candles! Seabees! Can do since '42!

BATTLE OF IWO JIMA.
Honor and Remember. Iwo Jima "is the most expensive piece of real estate the United States has ever purchased." Captain Robert Johnson, CEC USNR.
BLACK HELL is the story of The 133rd Navy "Seabees" On Iwo Jima from February to November 1945. The 133rd NCB lost 42 men killed in action. They earned 10 bronze stars. They received the Navy Unit Citation but should have received the Presidential Unit Citation. They fought and built like hell! They paved the path to Victory! Seabees! 'Can Do' since '42!

Happy New Year from the officers and crew of the 36th USN Construction Battalion! If you think you are good enough to build and fight then join us! We will be hosting our annual meeting on Saturday, January 31 at 1000 hours in Portsmouth, Virginia! Seabees! Can Do since '42! Hurrah!

Merry Christmas to all from our officers, ships wives, and crew! May peace, love, and joy be with you all! Godspeed and good cheer! Huzza!!!

Million Dollar Point.

At the end of WW2 the US Army planned to leave behind much of the roads, buildings, power systems, water supplies, and other infrastructure it had constructed on Espiritu Santo (Santo) as a gesture of goodwill to the local population.

However, American policy required that virtually all military equipment and supplies, including vehicles, machinery, clothing, furniture, stores, crockery, cutlery, and even thousands of bottles of Coca-Cola, be returned to the United States, along with the troops themselves.

With transport ships in short supply at the war’s end, priority was given to repatriating personnel, and much of the equipment was left temporarily on Santo. At the same time, the U.S. War Department concluded that flooding the American market with surplus military vehicles and machinery would hinder post-war economic recovery. As a result, the equipment was deemed surplus and intended to remain on the island.

When the French authorities, who administered the New Hebrides, declined to purchase the equipment, American officials, convinced that the situation was being exploited, decided that if the surplus could not be sold, it would not be given away. In a dramatic and controversial decision, U.S. forces spent two days transporting vast quantities of equipment to the shoreline near Luganville and dumping it into the sea.

Vehicles that could still run were driven directly into the water; others were pushed in by bulldozers, which were themselves eventually driven into the ocean.

Travel writer Thurston Clarke vividly described the scene: a Seabees battalion constructed a ramp sloping into the Pacific, and day after day American soldiers drove bulldozers, trucks, tractors, jeeps, and ambulances straight into the channel. At the final moment, the Seabees would lock the wheels and jump clear as the vehicles plunged into the water.

As the machines struck the sea, engine blocks cracked and hissed, clouds of steam rising on impact. Clarke noted that some of the Seabees openly wept as the equipment vanished forever into the murky depths below.

As a final act, Army engineers demolished the temporary jetty from which the vehicles had been driven. In total, millions of dollars’ worth of equipment and supplies were deliberately destroyed. The site later became known as Million Dollar Point......

Image Credit: Danger

Hoah! The crew of the 36th has had a busy December! We were honored to participate in Pearl Harbor day ceremonies aboard USS Laffey and USS Yorktown in Charleston! We also attended the annual Yuletides event at Agecroft Hall in Richmond. At both events we showcased our skills and talents! Thank you to everyone who participated! Merry Christmas! Seabees! Can Do since '42!