Seabee History: Formation of the Seabees and World War II

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq67-3.htm

Seabee History: Formation of the Seabees and World War II

 

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq67-3.htm

WHAT IS A SEABEE

Between a Soldier and a Marine there stands an individual called a SEABEE.

SEABEES come in assorted sizes, shapes and weights, but all have the same code: Enjoy every second of every hour of every day, whether at work or at play, and to protest by griping (their MOST treasured privilege) when issued an order.

SEABEES are found everywhere: on top of, underneath, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around or more likely than not…turning to.

Mothers and sweethearts love them. Airdales and Fleet sailors hate them, Company Commanders tolerate them and Chief Petty Officers drive them.

A SEABEE is a composite, he has the appetite of a horse, digestion of a sword swallower, the energy of a mini H-bomb, the curiosity of a big cat, the lungs of a dictator, the imagination of Paul Bunyan, the slyness of a fox, the enthusiasm of a fire cracker and the spirit of a fighting ****. He likes: liberty, leave, holidays, weekends, women, chow, BEER, movies, geedunks, swimming, pin-ups, sleep and comic books.

A SEABEE isn't too thrilled about: Duty nights, watches, taps, reveille, routine discipline, officers, drills, marching or secured heads.

Nobody else is so early to rise without actually wanting to get up. No other person gets so much fun out of Liberty or Shore Patrol. No one can have so much fun on so little money or time.

A SEABEE is a magical creature: you can chew him out, but you can't get the work done without him; he is dirty, unpolished, not squared away, often overbearing and sometimes reluctant.

A SEABEE is a person of magical abilities: he can weld, build, drive, repair and fight all at the same time; he can destroy or he can beautify, instantly; he can make something out of nothing; work never tires him, nor does he seem to tire of it!

His motto is "CAN DO", to which he adds "HAS DONE" and "DID", these frequently impossible feats are recognized in the form of a "WELL DONE" by everyone from the Commanding Officer on down.

The average SEABEE is a thick-headed individual of a variety of nationalities. They won't admit to anyone or anywhere, except in the defense of their Battalion that they have the BEST job in the Navy. Without them, the Fleet would have nothing to talk about. Marines would have nothing to gripe about and History would have nothing to write about.

GOD BLESS THE SEABEES

Captain Wilfred L. Painter (CEC, USNR), was truly a legend in Seabee history. A movie could be made of his exploits. Much of his work in the Pacific had been confidential, almost nothing was written about him.

Author William Bradford Huie, in his book From "Omaha to Okinawa" wrote a few pages about him. I have condensed some of Huie's writing.

If Painter had lived in the 16th Century, he would have been Captain Blood, if in the 19th, he would have been a mixture of Jeb Stuart, Buffalo Bill, and Jesse James.

After Guadalcanal, Painter became one of the Navy's advance Scouts in the Pacific. It was his job to pick landing sites, and particularly to pick the sites for airfields to support our operations. On every island in the Solomons on which we landed, Painter was there before the landing - surveying, taking soundings, determining whether and how fast an airfield could be built there. He had sneaked ashore from Submarines and PT boats, hidden in caves, dodged Japs, ambushed Japs, made rendezvous with his subs and PT's, and returned with the information on which the decisions were made.

Painter is an engineer. To understand the importance of his work, you must understand the importance of his work, you must understand the importance of engineering to the war's naval operations. Every landing we made in the Pacific was made with one prinipal aim in view: to obtain an airfield. If the Japanese had an airfield on the island, was it on the best site? could the Jpanese field be lengthened and enlarged for our use? If not, where was such a site? What about prevailing wind direction and its relation to proposed runways? Was there a coral deposit nearby? If not, what would be used for building material on the runways? What about supplying the airfield? Was there deep water nearby in which piers could be built and Liberty ships docked?

Some of our line admirals were slow in realizing their dependence on those engineering considerations, but Painter, with his brusque but efficient manner, was there to advise them. Admiral Halsey, no shrinking violet himself, quickly recognized Painters value, and Painter became a captain at thirty-five the youngest four striper in the Navy.

On Pearl Harbor Day he was building a dry dock at Long Beach. He was rushed to Pearl Harbor and placed in charge of raising the battleships California and West Virginia. He worked like a fiend. He dived with divers, and was so covered with scum each night that he had to bathe in Kerosene. A doctor was assigned to follow him throughout the dark, muddy bowels of the big ships to revive him when he collapsed from sulphur dioxide gas. He had both ships raised and in dry dock before anybody believed it was possible.

The earliest Seabees had been rushed to Efate and Espiritu Santo, and they completed an emergency airstrip at Santo - our first jump off base - just ten days before D-Day at Guadalcanal. Painter was in this area as engineering officer on the staff of Vice Admiral McCain, commander of naval aircraft in the South Pacific. In effect, he became all around engineering handy man for Admirals McCain, Turner, and Halsey throughout the South Pacific campaign, In effect, many of the engineering decisions, were Painters, as evidenced by the fact that he was jumped from Lieutenent, to Lieutenent Commander, to Commander, and then to Captain in rapid order. He was thirty five when he put on his four stripes.

Rank meant nothing to Painter, however. Like most of the Seabee officers, he was essentially a civilian, and wanted only to get the job done and get out. He hates red tape, and his adventures in cutting it are Pacific legends. He would tell off an Admiral as quickly as he would a seaman second-class, and only his sheer ability as recognized by broad-guaged men like Admirals Moreell, Halsey, and Nimitz kept him from being canned.

Painter tore around the South Pacific on all sorts of missions. Two days after the Marines had taken Henderson Field, he landed there in Admiral McCain's flag plane and began surveying sites for fighter strips Nos. 1&2. The Japs came over, Painters plane had to run off and he was left on Guadalcanal. When the old destroyer Mcfarland was hit, Painter patched her up and saved her. When we were ready to move northward "up the slot" Painter was sent to New Georgia to pick the landing and airfield sites. He sneaked ashore there and found a British colonial official who was hiding from the Japs with a small party of natives.

The Britisher provided Painter with a canoe, a guide, and some bearers, and the party started on the water trip across Viro Harbor, which was held by the Japanese. A storm almost swamped the canoe before it could reach shore. Painter spent the night in a cave. Next day, as the wind became even stronger, he abandoned the canoe and set out to explore all the land around Viro Harbor by foot. With his native guides, he waded swamp for two days, traversed thirty miles, and concluded that a landing was not feasible at Viro. There was no site where an airfield could be built quickly. Painter left the Viro area, went to Segi Point, and found the spot he was looking for. Disguised as a native and in a captured Jap landing craft, Painter took soundings off Segi in full view of Jap land parties. Later Painter returned to Segi with a survey party and actually began work on the airstrip. The 47th Seabee Battalion landed there on June 30, 1943, D-Day in the Munda operation - and completed the airfield in ten days.

This was only the beginning of Painters scouting experiences. He dressed like Davey Crockett. He flew thousands of miles, traveled in PT's and subs. He was fired on by Japs and Americans alike. He was on Northern Luzon looking for airfield sites long before the Japanese realized that they had last the Philippines. He has been other places, too, but the full story will have to wait.

The Fighting Seabee

The Navy needed fighters

And they needed engineers,

So they organized the Seabees to

pin back Nippee's ears,

They took welders, riggers, boilermen,

cooks and bakers too;

They signed them in the Navy, which

was the thing to do.

With Tommy guns and rifle, we Seabees

learned to shoot;

We used a big machete knife, and other

things to boot.

They taught us how to march and drill,

They taught us how to dress;

We learned Commando tactics and

we bucked the line at mess.

We learned the Navy lingo; we called it

"deck" and "swab";

We learned just how to "knock it off"

like any other gob.

They taught us all these many things

in thirteen weeks or less,

And what they didn't teach us, the rest

we had to guess.

We finished out our training and

we sailed to Island X,

We had all our equipment stowed

below and on the decks.

The japs they held the island when

at last it hove in sight;

We knew that they were ready, so we got

prepared to fight.

We landed under heavy fire, and

there was plenty hell,

It kept us busy most the day, just

dodging every shell.

We soon had wiped the Nippees out

and then we went to work,

Each Seabee did his duty - not a one

was seen to shirk.

We built a mighty landing field,

a barracks and a dock,

About a hundred miles of road we made

from solid rock.

We got things finally squared away,

'twas pretty to be seen,

Then we went back to the beachhead,

where we saw our first Marines.

They had followed in behind us,

though they said they got there first;

We had everything completely fixed,

they could even quench their thirst.

From the Halls of Montezuma, to the

shores of Tripoli

It used to be the Leathernecks, now

it's all Seabees.

And when we reach the Pearly Gates and

stand at Heaven's scene,

There'll be a Seabee waiting there

to greet the first Marine.

THREE super, super posts. The Seabee poems were top-notch and the story of Painter was outstanding. I could picture him doing all this and imagined a movie. What a movie that would make!

John Wayne.....' The Fighting Seebees ' ?

UNBELIEVABLE CONTRIBUTION

We of the Marine Corps know firshand, perhaps better than anyone else, the almost unbelievable contribution that the Seabees have made to victory. Many times we have fought side by side in the early stages of battle, before there was room for you to proceed with your assigned construction projects. While we pressed farther inland, you laid aside your arms-but not too far away to pick up your working tools and build highways, airports, supply depots and innumerable other projects, It was a comforting thought to know as we pushed the enemy back that you were right behind us with your bulldozers and your tractors, year graders and your power shovels guaranteeing us roads to bring up our supplies and ammunition, and to return our wounded, and airports for our planes to use in supporting our troops and in pushing the attack.

During the interludes between operations, fortunate indeed was the unit that was located near a Construction Battalion. Then, the more peaceful pursuits of erecting a flagpole, repairing a watch, were childs play at the hands of the Seabees. The Marines who have fought together with you against the Jap will never forget the support you have given us unfailingly from Guadalcanal to Tokyo. The bend of fellowship between Marines and Seabees, forged by the heat of battle, is one which I am sure will last as long as there are veterans of these organizations left to recount firsthand experiences of the many hard-won battles of the war.

On behalf of all Marines in the Pacific, I want to extend my Thank You, and Well Done!

ROY S. GEIGER

Lieutenant General, U.S.M.C.,

Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific

A great tribute to the Seabees from ROY S. GEIGER, Lieutenant General, U.S.M.C., Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific! Here, here!

A great tribute to the Seabees from ROY S. GEIGER, Lieutenant General, U.S.M.C., Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific! Here, here!

"NEVER LET US DOWN"

As the former Commanding General of the Fifth Amphibious Corps and Commanding General Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, it gives me great pleasure to send a brief message to the bi-weekly magazine SEABEE for their final and souvenir edition.

In my humble opinion the formation of the Seabees was one of the finest developments of this last war. The outstanding work of the Seabees and their magnificent courage in battle played a most important in the successful prosecution of the war.

It was not an unusual sight to witness the Seabees performing their duties under heavy fire. It was an inspiring sight, for instance to see them working one end of the airfield while the Marines were fighting on the other end. They were equally at home with the tools of their profession or with the weapons with which they were armed. The spirit of brotherhood existing between the Marines and the Seabees was forged in the holocaust of battle. Perhaps I can sum up this brief message in these few words. "THE SEABEES NEVER LET US DOWN".

With sincere personal regards,

H.M. Smith

Lieutenant General

U.S. Marine Corps

We work like hell, we fight like hell,

And always come back for more:

The Navy's advance base engineers

On many a foreign shore.

On half the lousy islands

For here to Timbucto,

You'll find a hive of Seabees-

One hell of a fighting crew.

The admiral just dropped around

To chat the other night,

He said, "Now boys, I know you work

But you've also been trained to fight.

"So if there's any trouble, don't stop

To put on your jeans;

Just drop your tools, grab up your guns

And protect those poor marines."