Preemptive Measures Can Prevent Boarding and Hostage Taking
Too often, ship operators fail to take proper anti-piracy security measures, effectively turning their merchant vessels into “Golden Geese” ripe for the taking, writes the author. He goes on to discuss proven methods of hardening commercial ships and training their crews to prevent pirates – whether from Somalia or elsewhere – from boarding vessels and taking crews hostage.
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The U.S. Navy Seabees, the Navy's deployable Engineer Force, will celebrate its 70th anniversary March 5.
With the motto, "We Build, We Fight," Seabees provide a wide range of responsive military construction in support of operating forces, including roads, bridges, bunkers, airfields and logistics bases.
"As we enter our 70th Year, the Seabees' vital work continues around the world in support of the Global Maritime Strategy. Today we have nearly 2,400 Seabees deployed to more than 30 major detail sites in support of five combatant commanders. Seabees remain in high demand as we continue to write new chapters in our 'Can Do' legacy," said Rear Adm. Mark Handley, commander 1st Naval Construction Division.
Today, the Navy Seabees play a critical role in the world in both humanitarian and military missions. Whether building facilities for our troops in Afghanistan, helping residents recover from natural disasters, or building clinics and schools or drilling water wells in underdeveloped areas, Seabees are key players in the Navy's global force for good.
Currently, a Naval Construction Regiment and two Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (NMCBs) are deployed to Afghanistan to build and expand camps and outposts for troops. Other recent projects there have included water wells, helicopter landing zones, roads, and a low-water crossing to help local Afghans.
In addition to the two battalions in Afghanistan, two more battalions are providing engineering and construction support while promoting regional stability through humanitarian projects in Africa, Europe, South America and the Pacific.
"This anniversary is one of change and getting back to what made Seabees great from the beginning, our ability to construct high quality products in an extremely dynamic environment," said Builder 2nd Class (BU2) Grabiel J. Marrero, currently deployed to Africa with NMCB 3.
While their organization and mission has changed over the years, today's Seabees embody the same "can-do" spirit as their World War II predecessors.
It is a story that began 70 years ago after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. There was a need for massive military construction, and Rear Adm. Ben Moreell, chief of the Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks, established the first construction battalions. Seabees got their name from the abbreviation "CB" for construction battalion.
These early Seabees were recruited from the civilian construction trades and were placed under the leadership of Civil Engineer Corps officers. Because experience and skill was more important than physical standards, the average age of Seabees at that time was 37. More than 325,000 men served with the Seabees in World War II, fighting and building on six continents and more than 300 islands. During the war, the Seabees built 111 major airstrips, 700 square blocks of warehouses, hospitals for 70,000 patients, storage tanks for 100 million gallons of gasoline and housing for 1.5 million men. In nearly every major invasion in the Pacific, including Normandy and Iwo Jima, Marines were followed by Seabees to support the invasion and provide long-term facilities for the troops.
Due to their effectiveness in World War II, the Seabees became a permanent part of the Navy. They continued to serve in Korea, where they participated in both the Inchon and Wonsan landings and built advance bases in the Pacific.
In 1965, the Seabees made their first deployment to Vietnam and built an expeditionary airfield at Chu Lai. As the demand for Seabees grew, they constructed roads, bridges, airfields and hospitals, and helped in many civic action projects.
In the 1970s, they resumed peacetime deployments including construction at the strategic Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean.
More than 5,000 active duty and Reserve Seabees served in the Middle East during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. They built 10 camps for more than 42,000 personnel, three galleys, 10 aircraft parking aprons, three ammunition supply points, a 500-bed hospital, two runways, two hangars, a prisoner of war camp to hold 40,000, and a 200-mile, four-lane road.
Twenty-six Seabee units deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in support of the first phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Seabees constructed aircraft parking areas, roads, munitions storage areas, a 1,200-person camp, and erected bridges over the Diyala River and Saddam Canal. Seabees returned to Iraq in March 2004 to provide force protection, troop housing, border outposts, expeditionary camps, community outreach centers, medical clinics, community cleanup and camp improvements.
Beginning with their deployment to Camp Rhino, Afghanistan to repair the runway at Kandahar shortly after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Seabees have had a presence in Afghanistan for 10 years. When President Barack Obama announced the deployment of 30,000 more U.S. troops to the region in December 2009, the Seabees were called upon to provide an additional two battalions to the two that were already deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Seabees were sent forward to build combat outposts, forward operating bases, and provide force protection improvements such as guard towers and bunkers in support of the Army and Marine Corps.
In addition to their wartime mission, Seabees are also known for their worldwide humanitarian efforts. Seabees have aided the victims of hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters around the world. In the 1990s, Seabees deployed to Somalia and Haiti to support humanitarian efforts there and constructed tent camps for more than 40,000 Haitian and Cuban migrants in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Seabees deployed to Indonesia, Thailand and Sri-Lanka to provide humanitarian support in the wake of a massive tsunami in 2004. They deployed to Pakistan to help clear roads and remove debris to help relief workers get to isolated areas following a major earthquake in 2005.
In addition to disasters overseas, the Seabees are also first responders when tragedy strikes in the U.S. Nearly 800 active duty and Reserve Seabees deployed to southern Florida to assist in disaster recovery efforts following Hurricane Andrew in September 1992. They repaired 46 public schools, removing 12,000 cubic yards of debris.
More than 3,300 Navy Seabees participated in Hurricane Katrina recovery operations on the Gulf Coast in 2005. Seabees cleared 750 miles of roads, removed more than 20,000 tons of debris and supported search and rescue operations. Seabees repaired 85 schools affecting 47,208 students and repaired and constructed more than 30 temporary public buildings.
During times or war, peace, disaster and human suffering, the Navy Seabees have been the construction force of choice whenever the nation has needed them. For 70 years they have answered the call with one simple reply - "Can Do!"
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