Wewak, Papua New Guinea. (October 17, 2023): In this photo by Chief Petty Officer Eric Chan, Seabees remove a water container during a renovation project, one of many civic projects completed during Pacific Partnership 2023. Now in its 18th year, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific.

The storied history of America’s Seabees begins in 1942 during the darkest hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Navy needed skilled construction workers, who could also fight, to build advanced bases in combat zones during World War II.

The more than 325,000 members of this new Naval Construction Force, better known for their initials “CB” as the Seabees, constructed airfields, conducted underwater construction, and built roads, bridges, and other support facilities across the Pacific.

After World War II, the Seabees played a vital role in the Korean War, Vietnam War,  and in the Philippines. Most recently, they provided critical tactical construction support in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In addition to their wartime exploits, the Seabees also respond when disaster strikes. The Seabees were first on the scene to give relief after hurricanes Camille, Andrew, George, Mitch, Katrina, Ivan, and Maria. They also provided construction support and disaster relief in the wake of the Haiti earthquake. For the last sixty years, detachments of Seabees have deployed to third world countries around the globe to improve lives.

These “fighting builders” were featured in the WWII movie The Fighting Seabees, an account of their heroics after the Battle of Wake Island.