Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5 | |
---|---|
Active | 15 May 1942 – 1945 10 July 1951 - present |
Country | United States |
Branch | USN |
Part of | 30th Naval Construction Regiment |
Homeport | CBC Port Hueneme, Ca. |
Nickname(s) | "The Professionals" |
Motto(s) | Pride and Professionalism |
Engagements | World War II Vietnam War Gulf War Operation Iraqi Freedom |
Commanders | |
Current commander | CDR John K. Pergerson [1] |
Naval Construction Battalion 5 was commissioned on May 25, 1942 at Camp Allen Va. [2] The battalion went to Port Hueneme and shipped out for the first of two deployments in the Pacific. When the war ended CB 5 was decommissioned in the Philippines. On July 10, 1951 the Battalion was re-commissioned as a MCB and remains an active unit today.
With pressing construction needs in the Pacific, Naval Construction Battalion 5 was "rushed" in its formation. With its ranks full of qualified tradesmen the battalion was quickly given its military indoctrination and processed in less than a month for transit to Port Hueneme, Ca. From there the battalion boarded ship and was the first CB into the Hawaiian Territory. [3] "NAS Honolulu" was actually Naval Air Station Barbers Point and it was on CB 5's work list. [3] Also on the list was Midway Atoll. Sand Island had another airfield in need of attention. [3] Rounding out the first deployment were projects on French Frigate Shoals, Canton Island, Johnston Atoll and Palmyra atoll. [3] At French Frigate shoals an island had to be made for the base and airfield to be constructed upon. CB 5 was rotated CONUS on 19 March 1944, arriving Camp Parks, Ca on March 24. [3] Five's Midway replacement was the 50th CB who arrived on April 4. [4] From Camp Parks the battalion was transferred to Port Hueneme. While there the battalion was given its next assignment and attached to Cub-16. That was canceled with the battalion attached to the 7th Fleet and General MacArthur. On January 10, 1945 CB 5 departed Port Hueneme for Leyte where it arrived February 15. Nine days later the battalion would land at it new job site on Calicoan, Samar. The main projects would be an ABCD, [5] ACEPD, [5] NSD [5] and roads and water supply for all of it. [3] At Calicoan CB 5 had divers doing shallow water work for a seaplane ramp. [6] There were several detachments, one to both Advance Base Unit 10(NABU-10) and NABU-12. Able Company went to Balikpapan, Borneo to help the Aussies joining Detachments from the 111th and 113th CBs. On 13 August the battalion learned it was assigned Operation Olympic the first element of Operation Downfall. Downfall was the plan for the invasion of Japan. Set to begin in November 1945, Operation Olympic was intended to capture the southern third of the Japanese island of Kyūshū. This was to be followed by Operation Coronet, the second element, which was planned to land near Tokyo. VJ-day terminated these Operations leaving NCB 5 in the Philippines. [3] CB 5 was then listed to be tasked to the Operation Beleaguer mission in China, but received notice mid-October that was canceled too. [3] Naval Construction Battalion 5 was deactivated on December 3, 1945. [3]
On July 15, 1951, CB 5 was reactivated as a MCB. [2] The Korean War had begun and the Navy realized it had a need for an air station in the region. Cubi Point in the Philippines was selected, and civilian contractors were initially approached for the project. After seeing the Zambales Mountains and the surrounding jungle, they claimed it could not be done. The Navy then turned to the Seabees and was told no problem, Can do. The first Bees to arrive were surveyors of CBD 1802. MCB 3 arrived on 2 October 1951 to get the project going and was joined by MCB 5 in November. Over the next five years, MCBs 2, 7, 9, 11 and CBD 1803 also contributed to the effort. They leveled a mountain to make way for a nearly 2-mile long (3.2 km) runway. NAS Cubi Point turned out to be one of the largest earth-moving projects in the world, equivalent to the construction of the Panama Canal. Seabees there moved 20 million cubic yards (15 million cubic metres) of dry fill plus another 15 million that was hydraulic fill. The $100 million facility was commissioned on 25 July 1956, and comprised an air station with an adjacent pier capable of docking the Navy's largest carriers. Adjusted-for-inflation, today's price-tag for what the Seabees built at Cubi Point would be $906,871,323.53. The Philippine government did not renew the base's lease with the United States in 1992. The airfield now Subic Bay International Airport.
From 1965 to 1972, NMCB FIVE made six consecutive deployments to Vietnam. [2]
In 1972, the battalion moved all its troops and equipment to Thailand. [2] The project there was the construction of Nam Phong Air Base. [2]
NMCB 5 history [14]
Commanding officer | Period | Deployed to | Detachments |
---|---|---|---|
Lt Cmdr Edgar S. Winham | Jun 42- Mar 44 | Island X | Midway atoll, Palmyra atoll, Canton Is, Johnson Isl, French Frigate Shoals, Kauai, NAS Honolulu, T.H. [16] |
" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -" | Jan- Dec 45 | Calicoan Island | Cebu City, Iloilo City, Parang, Mindanao, Balikpapan, Borneo [16] |
Cmdr. Irwin M. Smith | Oct 51-Jul 53 | Subic Bay [16] | |
Cmdr. Irwin M. Smith | Sep 53 - Oct 54 | Subic Bay [16] | |
Cmdr. Irwin M. Smith | Jan 55 - Oct 55 | Subic Bay [16] | |
Cmdr. H.W. Whitney | 1959-60 | Guam [16] | |
Cmdr. D.E.Kean | 1960-61 | Okinawa [16] | |
Cmdr John Richey | 1961-62 | Okinawa [16] | |
Cmdr. James S Burfield | Nov 62 - Mar 64 | Guam [16] | |
Cmdr W.F. Russell | 1964-65 | Okinawa [16] | |
Cmdr W. F Russell | 1965 - 66 | Vietnam [16] | |
Cmdr. E. J. Williams Jr. | 1966-67 | Vietnam [16] | |
Cmdr. E.J. Williams Jr. | 1967-68 | Vietnam [16] | 22 detachments in support of the Marines throughout the northern I Corps region |
Cmdr. Robert A. Schade Jr. | 1968-69 | Vietnam [16] | |
Cmdr. Robert A. Schade Jr. | 1969-70 | Vietnam [16] | |
Cmdr. Robert A. Schade Jr. | Nov 70- May 71 | Vietnam | Vietnam dets Bronco, Maverick, Mustang, Pinto, & Stallion, Adak, Guam, Philippines [16] |
Cmdr. Robert J. McHugh Jr. | May 72- Nov 72 | Okinawa | Nam Phong, Thailand |
Cmdr. Robert J. McHuch Jr. | 1973-74 | Okinawa | Philippines, Taiwan, Sasebo, Iwakuni, Yokosuka, Seabee team 0522 USS Sanctuary [16] |
Cmdr. R W. AuerBach Jr | 1974-75 | Puerto Rico | [16] |
Cmdr. David C. de Vicq | 1975-76 | Diego Garcia | [16] |
Cmdr. David C. de Vicq | 1976-77 | Rota Spain | Greece, Crete, Sardinia, Sicily, Spain, Scotland |
Cmdr Donald Austin | Dec 77 - Sep 78 | Puerto Rico | Guantanamo Bay, Eleuthera, Keflavick, Diego Garcia |
Cmdr.Donald Austin | Mar-Nov 79 | Diego Garcia | Clark AB, Philippines |
Cmdr. J.T. Patterson | May 80 - Jan 81 | Guam | Diego Garcia, Yokosuka Japan, Midway, Pearl Harbor, Seabee team Palau |
Cmdr K.C.Kelly | Jul 81 - Mar 82 | Rota Spain | Diego Garcia, Nea Makri Greece, Sigonella NAS, Naples |
Cmdr K.C.Kelly | Aug 82 _ Apr 83 | Puerto Rico | Gitmo, Bermuda, Andros Isl., Vieques Isl., Seabee team Yap Isl. |
Feb-Oct 86 | Subic Bay | Sigonella & Lappedusa Italy | |
Cmdr. F.W Dew | May 87 - Jan 88 | Puerto Rico | Guantanamo Bay, Andrus Isl., Camp David, Damneck Va., Vieques Isl., Panama, Honduras, Haiti |
Cmdr. D.F. Walsh | Oct 89 - May 90 | Puerto Rico | NAS Rodman Panama, NAS Bermuda, Abdros Isl., NAVFAC Antigua, Camp David, Hurricane Hugo |
Cmdr. D.F. Walsh | Aug 90 - Apr 91 | Saudi Arabia | Operations Desert Shield and Storm |
Cmdr. H.B. Wittaker II | Jan - Aug 92 | Okinawa | Adak and Kodiak, Alaska, Pohang and Chinhae, Korea and Saaebo, Fuji, Iwakuni, Yokoauka and Atsugi, Japan |
Cmdr. R.L Phillips | Mar - Oct 93 | Puerto Rico | El Salvador, Belize, Columbia, Grenada, St. Kitts, Trinidad |
May - Dec 94 | Okinawa | Adak and Kodiak, Alaska, Camp Hialeah, Pohang and Chinhae, Korea and Saaebo, Fuji, Iwakuni, Yokoauka and Atsugi, Japan | |
Cmdr. J. M. Barrett | Jul 95 - Aug 96 | Guantanamo Bay | Puerto Rico, Vieques, Panama, Little Creek Va, Key West Fl, Norfolk Va |
Cmdr. D.P. King | Nov 97 - Sep 98 | Puerto Rico | Andros Isl., Guantanamo Bay, Jacksonville Fl., Norfolk Va., Vieques Isl. |
Cmdr. M.A. Handley | Jan-Aug 1999 | Okinawa | Pohang & Chinhae So. Korea, Atsugi, Iwakunhi, Sasebo, & Yokosuka Japan |
Cmdr. D.L.Fleisch | May-Dec 2001 | Okinawa | Pohang & Chinhae So. Korea, Atsugi, East Timor, Iwakunhi, Sasebo, & Yokosuka Japan |
2002 | Rota Spain | Kuwait Operation Enduring Freedom [14] | |
2005 | Island X [14] | Special Operations support. Site locations remain "classified" information. | |
Aug 09 | Afghanistan | Camp Leatherneck [14] | |
2010 | Afghanistan | I Marine Expeditionary Force | |
Feb 2015 | Okinawa | Japan, South Korea, Diego Garcia, Cambodia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, San Clemente Island, Ca., Philippines [14] |
Campaign and service awards Vietnam Service MCB 5 saw service in 13 of the award periods.
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