Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11

From Camp Bradford, the battalion caught a train to the Advance Base Depot, Port Hueneme.[3] NCB 11 was the very first CB to embark from that port for the Pacific.[4] In the early record, 11th's first assignments are referenced by their code-names: Straw-hat, Straw-stack[5] and Fetlock. "Straw-hat" was Upolo, Samoa, "Straw-stack" was Tutuila, Samoa, and "Fetlock" was Pago Pago.[6] Eleven's primary projects were the construction of a Cub destroyer base and harbor facilities at Tutuila, fuel tanks, pump system, and fuel dock. A detachment was also sent to assist the 2nd CB on Upolo. From Samoa, CB 11 was transferred to Nouméa, New Caledonia when CBMU 506 relieved them on Samoa. Nouméa was Hq for SOPAC. The main project on there was Naval Mobile Hospital 5. There were 3 detachment sites: Magenta, Ducos, and Ile Nou.[6] They were then sent to New Zealand for R&R. The next stop was Banika Island in the Russells to build a dock for Acorn.[6][7]

From there, the battalion embarked the USS Wharton (AP-7)[8] for the Admiralty Islands campaign. On Los Negros Island 11 built the operational home for the 2nd NCR and started a Lion for the 7th Fleet. Shipmates with them on AP-7 was the 58th CB. At Milne Bay, Los Negros the 11th and 58th CBs joined the 71st. Projects the 11th had were the construction of three repair bases on Seeadler Harbor for seaplanes,[9] landing craft, and the fleet.[6] The seaplane base became home for VPB-52 and their PBYs. From Los Negros the 11th returned to CONUS. After an extended R&R the battalion shipped out along with the 35th and 80th (colored) CBs for Subic Bay, Philippines. At Subic Bay, the 11th took over projects started by the 115th CB as well as team-worked with them on others. These included the completion of an Amphibious Training Center, Advance Base Construction Depot,[10] a 400' marine railway.[6][11] and a 1,200-foot pier to serve a supply depot. On 1 December 1945 the battalion was inactivated. The record does not give the date that the men reached CONUS.

• One of the Seabees first Civic action projects, possibly the first, happened on Island X early in the war. A project was formulated that CB 11 would build a dam and reservoir to supply an airfield, naval base, hospital as well as a neighboring village.[12] The site chosen was inaccessible to transport, a mile from the village. To get close to the site, a trail had to be grubbed and corduroy road laid and a 20' bridge built.[12] Even so, the last 500' materials had to be man-handled into position. For this the villagers were approached for the labor. The dam itself was constructed by them under Seabee supervision. Each laborer got his wife, mother, aunt, and daughter to carry the cement materials in head baskets to the cement mixer.[12] In all 200 women were part to the work party.[12]
• 11 NCBs original WWII Log and documents are at the NHHC-Seabee Museum website (click on "Naval Construction Battalion").[13]
• AP-7, formerly SS Southern Cross, was one of the ships for Antarctic exploration by Admiral Byrd.[8] When the battalion published its cruise book in 1944 "Southern Cross Duty" was chosen for the title. The inspiration for the name came from the USS Wharton's history and being the battalion's transport south of the equator.
• duty stations: Samoa 10 months, New Caledonia 5 months, New Zealand 1 month, Banika 2.5 months, Los Negros 6 months, on ship 2.5 months, Port Hueneme 6 months, Philippines 5 months[14]

In August 1953, the battalion was reactivated as Mobile Construction Battalion 11 (MCB 11) at Port Hueneme, CA.[16] The battalion did not deploy to Korea. Instead, her first deployment returned the battalion to its last World War II duty station, Subic Bay.[16] The project was constructing Naval Air Station Cubi Point with its adjacent pier. Along with CBs 2, 3, 5 and 9 MCB 11 was involved in the leveling of a mountain that civilian contractors said could not be done. It cost of $100,000,000 in 1956 ($1.08 billion in 2022 dollars). In November 1955 MCB 11 landed on Kwajalein to build Department of Defense housing totaling 78 buildings. On Halloween 1959, the battalion relieved MCB 9 on Okinawa. The job was building base infra-structure: five 100'x400' warehouses, four shops, plus supply and administration buildings.[16] Sent to Midway Island in December 1961, the battalion worked on a seaplane ramp, the station's roads, as well as civilian and military housing. However, MCB 11 had three atypical projects for the Atomic Energy Commission on Kwajalein, Eniwetok, and Nevada. The battalion repaired massive damage caused by the 11 November 1962 arrival of Typhoon Karen on Guam;[16] an advanced party left for the island just days after the storm on 15 November, followed by the main body on 5 December. In 1965 MCB 11 had two Seabee teams sent behind the iron curtain to deal with a bug problem the State Department had discovered in U.S. embassies.[17][18]

   CM3 Marvin Glenn Shields Mobile Construction Battalion 11.

• 1965 in late January, the battalion made history when it deployed to Okinawa. MCB 11 was the first Mobile CB to deploy by air. In February, Seabee Technical Assistance Team 1104 was sent to Ben Soi, Vietnam where they built a camp for U.S. Special forces.[19][20] "Seabee teams with Secret Clearances were sent to Vietnam to assist the U.S. Army's Special Forces in the CIA funded Civilian Irregular Defense Group program (CIDG)".[21] In June the program gave STAT 1104 another Special Forces assignment, construct a new camp at Dong Xoai.[19] Nine of the team-members departed Ben-Soi to join Captain Bill Stokes (5th Special Forces Group) commander of the 10 men of team, A-342[19] at Đồng Xoài. The camp had two adjoining compounds: The Green Berets, Seabees, and 200 odd Montagnards(CIDG) were in one, while 200 plus RVN Army were in the other.[20] On the night 9 June the camp was attacked by over 2000 Viet Cong, beginning what is now called the Battle of Đồng Xoài.[19] The combined Green Beret Seabee force lost 3 men, 16 were wounded and one was unscathed.[19] Nearly all of the RVN Army and Montagnards were casualties. Steelworker 2nd class William C. Hoover became the first Seabee to lose his life in Vietnam.[22] Though already wounded twice, CM3 Marvin Glenn Shields helped retrieve a badly wounded Stokes and then volunteered to carry ammo for 1st Lt Charles Q. Williams assault on a machine-gun position.[19] They took that gun out but both were wounded again returning to their positions. For Shields it was fatal. Both men received the Medal of Honor for their actions.[19] The next day, nearly out of ammunition and under heavy fire, the survivors were extracted at 1300 by three Hueys and a gunship from the 118th Aviation Company. Except, LTJG Peterlin and EOC McCully had gotten separated from the others and were left behind while Dong Xoia was declared a free-fire zone.[20] Both men survived the night and were awarded Silver Stars. The other team members all received Bronze Stars with Vs for valor. Every man received a Purple Heart and the team received the Navy Unit Commendation. CM3 Shields is the only Seabee to ever be awarded the Medal of Honor.[23] The Republic of Vietnam awarded Marvin Shields posthumously with the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm and the Military Merit Medal.[24] For their part, the Seabees named their bases at Chu Lai, Vietnam and on Okinawa "Camp Shields" in his honor and named their base in Da Nang for SW2 Hoover.
• 1965 USMC base Camp Hansen on Okinawa was completed after 29 months of construction by MCBs 3, 9, and 11 repurposing Chimu Airfield.[25]
• 1966 1st Tour: Battalion deployed to Camp Adenir at Da Nang from February–October. John Wayne paid the battalion a visit in June to dedicate the enlisted-men's club.[26]
• 1967 2nd Tour: This time the battalion went north to Dong Ha USMC Combat Base, just 13 miles south of the DMZ. There, they came under enemy fire 128 times that resulted in 5 KIA and 52 purple hearts. Eleven's first casualty was Senior Chief Barnes and the Seabee Camp at Dong Ha was named for him.[27] The battalion saw the most severe enemy fire experienced by any CB since WWII while on this tour. The primary projects were the air field at Dong Ha Combat Base, CB Camp, and twenty eight 50-foot observation towers. The battalion had too many other projects to enumerate here.[26] During this deployment, an urgent airfield was needed at Quảng Trị.[28] The project was designated "top secret", site "X", and to be completed in under 45 days. MCBs 1, 3, 4, 7, 11, 74, 121, and 133 all sent detachments of men and equipment to get the job done. Those detachments dubbed themselves the "Ghost Battalion" and chose the Jolly Roger for the Battalion's colors.[29] The Ghost Battalion was relieved by NMCB 10 disbanded 1 November 1967.
• 1968 3rd Tour: Quang Tri air base. The battalion made history in just getting to Vietnam. They were the first CB to deploy by air to the theater. The first couple of months saw the battalion living in tents pitched on sandy soil that did little for morale. There were a number of "High Priority" projects, starting with an Ammunition Supply Point. A "Minimum Essential Requirements" project (MER) for camp upgrades in the Quang Tri Combat area for the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps was also on that list. The project lead was NMCB 11, augmented by 200 man detachments from CBs 1, 3, 4, 7, 10, 11, 74, 121, and 133. The MER project was to build over 2000 basic structures to get "ALL" U.S. troops out of the sand and under cover before the next monsoon began. Another "High Priority" was roadwork on Rt 1, the length of Vietnam. In addition to NMCB 11, CBs 1, 4, 7, 8, 53, 58, 62, 71, 74, 133, and 138 all worked concurrently on the route.[26] On September 18 the new Seabee base that NMCB 11 built, Camp Rhodes, was commissioned at Quang Tri. It was named in honor of Lt. Joseph Rhodes CEC, who was killed in action.
• 1969 4th Tour: On this deployment, the battalion had three main deployment sites: Vietnam, Okinawa and Guam. In Vietnam the main projects were roads and bridges.[26] One was the destroyed railway bridge built by the French at Song Bo. There, the crew came under enemy fire that attempted to stop the repairs several times, earning the men the Navy Combat Action Ribbon.[30] Another bridge was on Route 1 at Bau Phu. NMCBs 1 and 11 did the construction work while 128 and 133 provided material support. On Okinawa, the battalion was on the island when Typhoon Cora passed with its 175 knot winds. NMCB 11 assisted in the recovery there. The Battalion returned to homeport to be decommissioned in December.
• See the MCB 11 Association website for a detailed account of this period and complete listing of all construction done.[31]

In 1968 the Marine Corps requested that the Navy change its use of "MCB" for Mobile Construction Battalion as the Marine Corps were using "MCB" for "Marine Combat Base". The dual usage was creating confusion in Vietnam. The Navy agreed there was an issue and changed the Navy's CB name format. The USN from "United States Naval" Mobile Construction Battalions was changed to U.S. and the N was moved to the "MCB" creating the "NMCBs" that exist today.

Seabee Technical Assistance Teams

• 1103 Nam Pot, Thailand, 1964
• 1104 Ben Soi Special Forces Det. A-321 (Feb-June) 1964
• 1104 Đồng Xoài Special Forces Det. A-342 (June) 1964

Seabee Teams

• 1105 Pleiku Special Forces Det. A-334A ( July-Dec) 1965, When team 1105 left Pleiku on December 23 the" Seabee Team Program in support of the U.S. Army Special Forces and Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) Program" came to an end.[32]
• MMT Thailand (During 1965 the Seabees had 5 "Mobile Training Teams" for well drilling. MCB 11's team was made up of Equipment operators and Construction mechanics.)
• MMT #2 Pleiku 1965
• Seabee Team "Project Demo" U.S.State Department: de-bugging U.S. Eastern European Embassies and repairing the removal damage.[17][18] 1965
• 1108 Bình Dương, Awarded Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation[26] 1967
• 1109 Chiang Kam, Thailand[26] 1967
• 1110 Cần Thơ and Long Xuyên (in the Mekong Delta)[26] 1967
• 1111 Bueng Kan(บึงกาฬ) and then Thung Song(ทุ่งสง) pronounced [tʰûŋ sǒŋ] Thailand[26] 1968
• 1112 Chiam Kham and then Mae Chan(แม่จัน), Thailand[26] 1968
• 1113 Yap Island (when NMCB 11 was decommissioned this team was still deployed and was transferred to NMCB 3 and re-designated Seabee team 0315)[26] 1969
• 1114 Majuro Island (when NMCB 11 was decommissioned this team was still deployed and was transferred to NMCB 3 and re-designated Seabee team 0316)[26] 1969
• Commander Naval Construction Battalion U.S. Pacific Fleet, Tân Sơn Nhất, Republic of Vietnam, Completion Report 1963–1972. Seabee Teams

Builder 3rd Class Amy Higgins with NMCB 11's Air Det in Afghanistan, builds a Southwest Asia hut.

NMCB 11 boards a CH-47 Chinook for transport to Special Forces projects in Afghanistan 2009.

NMCB-11 at the firing range at Camp Leatherneck.

NMCB 11 was recommissioned on 14 September 2007 in order for the Naval Construction Forces (NCF) to carry out the increasing construction projects it was being tasked with throughout the world. Eleven was classified as the first "SMART Battalion", and instituted many of the initiatives and changes being implemented to improve NCF operations. According to the battalions webpage, "NMCB ELEVEN is tasked with providing advance base construction, battle damage repair, contingency engineering, humanitarian assistance and disaster recovery support to our fleet and unified commanders."[33]

• 2009: The battalion was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).[34] The battalion's civic action component was tasked to Exercise SHARED ACCORD 2009.
• 2010: The battalion had a deployment of civic action projects.[34] One of these took a year to plan and three months to execute. This was the drilling of 3 wells in Cambodia for the Pacific Partnership 2010 in partnership with the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19).[35](FIG. 15) NMCB 11 also went to the aid of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) offices in Timor-Leste.[36] In June NMCB 11 broke ground a Community center in Timor-Leste as part of Exercise Crocodilo, a Marine Corps exercise conducted by the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU).[37]
• 2011: Requested by Kiritimati Island(Christmas Island) the U.S. sent a team from NMCB 11 to build the first health care facility on the island.[38]
• 2012: The battalion deployed to FOB Camp Leatherneck in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Work there was primarily in support of the Marine Corps and Special Operations Forces (USA). Much of this work took the form of building FOBs. There were also a fair number of civic action projects.[34]
• 2012: After Hurricane Sandy, NMCB 11's Air-Det was sent to New Jersey and New York for two weeks.[39][40]
• 2015: Deployment projects were carried out in support of OEF, as well as force protection, camp maintenance at various camps and civic action.[34][41]
• 2018: Hurricane Michael support