Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11



Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11 (NMCB 11) is a United States Navy Construction Battalion, otherwise known as a Seabee Battalion, presently home-ported at the Naval Construction Battalion Center (Gulfport, Mississippi). The unit was formed during WWII as the 11th Naval Construction Battalion at Camp Allen on 28 June 1942. On 1 July, she moved to the new Seabee base Camp Bradford. Seabee battalions were numbered sequentially in the order they were stood up. With a low number like 11, one would expect that 11 would have seen combat. As fate had it, she did not. The battalion lost one man during WWII to a military mishap, not enemy combat. The 11th NCB was inactivated on 1 December 1945 at Subic Bay in the Philippines. The unit was reactivated as Mobile Construction Battalion 11 in the fall of 1953, only to be decommissioned again in December 1969. However, during this time-frame fate was waiting for 11 in a little place in Southeast Asia. There, MCB 11 would join a unique group of combat CBs as she made four tours in Vietnam. There is no mention of any battalions making more tours; however, MCBs 1 & 7 made the same number. Vietnam was unlike WWII in that it was unconventional warfare. There were places and periods that were safer than others, but the hazards of war, if not present, were not far away at any given time. Eleven's fourth Seabee Technical Assistance Team (STAT) was sent to a Special Forces camp near the junction of two jungle routes, one called the Ho Chi Minh trail. It was the main route for the Viet Cong into South Vietnam, and lead to the most decorated group of Seabees in Seabee history. The battalion's 1967 tour exposed the men to the most severe combat the Seabees had seen since WWII. They came under fire 128 times, costing them 12 KIA. There were construction fatalities as well. In addition, the battalion suffered 102 wounded. A footnote of note is that NMCB 11 had one man make all four tours, getting a ribbon that matches the battalion's battle streamer.

WWII
From Camp Bradford, the battalion caught a train to the Advance Base Depot, Port Hueneme. NCB 11 was the very first CB to embark from that port for the Pacific. In the early record, 11th's first assignments are referenced by their code-names: Straw-hat, Straw-stack and Fetlock. "Straw-hat" was Upolo, Samoa, "Straw-stack" was Tutuila, Samoa, and "FETLOCK" is believed to be Pago Pago. Eleven's primary projects were the construction of a Destroyer base and harbor facilities at Tutuila, fuel tanks, pump system, and fuel dock. A detachment was also sent to assist the 2nd NCB on Upolo. From Samoa, 11 NCB was transferred to Nouméa, New Caledonia after CBMU 506 arrived to replace them in Samoa. The main project on this site was Naval Mobile Hospital 5. There were 3 detachment sites: Magenta, Ducos, and Ile Nou. They were then sent to New Zealand for R&R. The next stop was Banika Island in the Russells for the building of the Acorn 3 dock. Afterwards, the battalion was moved to Los Negros Island for the Admiralty Islands campaign to build a home-base for the 2nd NCR. Also with them on Los Negros were the 58th and 71st CBs. Additional projects the 11th CB constructed were three repair bases on Seeadler Harbor for seaplanes, landing crafts, and ships. From Los Negros, the battalion returned to the States. After a long wait, the 11th CB shipped out along with the 35th and 80th(segregated) CBs for Subic Bay, Philippines. At Subic Bay, the 11th took over some projects that the 115th CB had started as well as co-worked with the 115th on others. These included the completion of an Amphibious Training Center, Advance Base Construction Depot and a marine railway. On 1 December 1945 the battalion was inactivated. The record does not give the date that the men reached CONUS.
 * 11 NCBs original WWII Log and documents are at the NHHC-Seabee Museum website(click on "Naval Construction Battalion").

Cold War era
In August 1953, the battalion was reactivated as Mobile Construction Battalion 11 or MCB 11 at Port Hueneme. The battalion did not deploy to Korea. A historical qwirk is that battalion's first deployment returned her for duty to her last WWII duty station, Subic Bay.
 * On November 1955, the battalion landed on Kwajalein with a single project to do, DOD housing. The project called for 78 buildings of four different variations.  When it was done there was 178 family units of 2-3 bedrooms.
 * A historical footnote: The front of the 1955–56 cruise-book displays the unit insignia that NMCB 11 uses today minus the wording "REMEMBERING THE PAST".
 * On Halloween 1959, the battalion relieved MCB 9 on Okinawa. The projects were all base infra-structure: five 100'x400' warehouses, four shops, plus supply and administration buildings.
 * The battalion was sent to Midway Island in December 1961.  The main projects were a seaplane ramp, the station's roads, plus civilian and military housing.  However,  MCB 11 had three "out-of-the-ordinary" projects for the Atomic Energy Commission on Kwajalein, Eniwetok, and Nevada.
 * On 11 November 1962 Typhoon Karen hit Guam with winds 155-160 knots gusting 220 knots plus. This gave the battalion an unscheduled deployment site.  An advance party left on 15 November 1962, just days after the storm and the main body followed on 5 December.  Nearly everything on the island was damaged so MCB 11 had long list of repairs to address.

Vietnam
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 CB to deploy by air.   In February, Seabee Technical Assistance Team 1104 was sent to Ben Soi, Vietmam.  "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)"  In June, this program got STAT 1104 assigned to the new Special Forces Camp at Dong Xoai.   It was commanded by Captain Bill Stokes of the 5th Special Forces Group. He was CO of 10 men, team A-342.   The camp had two adjoining compounds: The Green Berets, Seabees, and 200 plus Montagnards(CIDG) were in one, while 200 plus RVN Army were in the other.  On the night and following morning of 9 June, the camp was attacked by over 2000 Viet Cong, beginning what is now called the Battle of Dong Xoai.  The combined Green Beret Seabee force lost 3 men, 16 were wounded and one was unscathed.  Nearly all of the RVN Army and Montagnards were casualties.  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.  They took that gun out but both were wounded again returning to their positions.  For Shields it was fatal.  Both men received the Congressional Medal of Honor for their actions.  LTJG Peterlin and EOC McCully were awarded Silver Stars. The other members of the team 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.
 * 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.
 * 1967 2nd Tour: This time the battalion went north to Dong Ha, only 13 miles from the DMZ. There, they came under enemy fire 128 times that resulted in 5 KIA and 52 purple hearts.  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.  During this deployment, an urgent airfield was needed at Quảng Trị.  Battalions 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
 * 1967 Seabee Team 1108 Bình Dương, Awarded Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
 * 1967 Seabee Team 1109 Chiang Kam, Thailand
 * 1967 Seabee Team 1110 Cần Thơ and Long Xuyên (in the Mekong Delta)
 * 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, 10, 71, 74, 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.
 * 1968 Seabee Team 1111 Bueng Kan(บึงกาฬ) and then Thung Song(ทุ่งสง) Thailand
 * 1968 Seabee Team 1112 Chiam Kham and then Mae Chan(แม่จัน), Thailand (HISTORICAL NOTE: IN 1968 THE MARINE CORPS REQUESTED THAT THE NAVY CHANGE THE SEABEE USE OF "MCB" AS THE MARINE CORPS WAS USING "MCB" FOR "MARINE COMBAT BASE".  THE NAVY AGREED TO A CHANGE BY ADDING A "N" FOR NAVAL, GIVING US THE NMCB's THAT EXIST TODAY)
 * 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. One was the destroyed railway bridge 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.  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.
 * 1969 Seabee Team 1113 Yap Island (when NMCB 11 was decommissioned this team was still deployed and was transferred to NMCB 3)
 * 1969 Seabee Team 1114 Majuro Island (when NMCB 11 was decommissioned this team was still deployed and was transferred to NMCB 3)
 * See the MCB 11 Association website for a detailed account of this period and complete listing of all construction done.
 * Commander Naval Construction Battalion U.S. Pacific Fleet, Tân Sơn Nhất, Republic of Vietnam, Completion Report 1963–1972. Seabee Teams

2007 to present
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."


 * In 2009, the battalion was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom(OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom(OIF).
 * In 2010, the battalion had a deployment of civic action projects. 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).  NMCB 11 also went to the aid of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) offices in Timor-Leste.  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).
 * In 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.
 * In 2012, after Hurricane Sandy, NMCB 11's Air-Det was sent to New Jersey and New York for two weeks.
 * 2015 Deployment projects were in support of OEF, as well as force protection, camp maintenance at various camps and civic action.

Insignia


Like most CBs, 11 does not use the unit insignia from WWII. When the battalion was reactivated the first time, a pair of dice showing eleven was adopted for the unit insignia. That design had no Seabee on it. The cover of the 1955–56 Cruise-book has an insignia on it exactly like the one used today, minus the phrase "Remembering the Past". For an unknown reason, the dice were removed from the unit insignia on the cover of the 1969 cruise-book.

Unit awards
NMCB 11 has received several unit citations and commendations. Members who participated in actions that merited the award are authorized to wear the medal or ribbon associated with the award on their uniform. Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces have different categories, i.e. Unit, Campaign, Service, and Personal. Unit Citations are distinct from the other decorations. The following unit awards are 11's:


 * Navy Unit Commendation: with two bronze stars: 1966, 1967, 1968(covers two award periods) Vietnam
 * VNCivilActionsRibbon-2.svg Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Medal Unit Citation
 * Vietnam gallantry cross unit award-3d.svg Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Award (5)
 * Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation:  1969 Vietnam (single award covers two award periods)
 * Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation :  2010 USNS Mercy Cambodia
 * Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation :
 * Battle Effectiveness Award ribbon, 1st award.svg Navy "E" Ribbon : –  U.S. Atlantic Fleet Battle "E"  (6) times.
 * Peltier Award: - 3

Campaign and Service Awards |Vietnam Service NMCB 11's Battle Streamer for Vietnam has one silver star and two bronze stars: the streamer alone counts as the first award. MCB 11 made 4 tours of Vietnam. The conflict was divided into 18 award periods and the battalion qualifies for eight.


 * Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
 * World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg World War II Victory Medal
 * Phliber rib.svgppine Liberation Ribbon
 * Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon with 60- clasp.svgam Campaign Medal service ribbon with 60–  Device : - 3 awards
 * Vietnam Service Medal ribbon.svgam Service Medal: - 8 awards( see the battle streamer above)
 * Combat Action Ribbon.svg Combat Action Ribbon (awarded individually)
 * National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg National Defense Medal :  11.1950-27.07.1954 (Korea)
 * National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg National Defense Medal :  11.1961-14.08.1974 (Vietnam)
 * National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svgnal Defense Service Medal : War on Terror
 * Global war terrorism service ribbon.gif Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
 * Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary ribbon.svg Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
 * Afghanistan Campaign Medal ribbon.svg Afghanistan Campaign Medal

'''11's Seabee Teams
 * 1104 - Navy Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Navy Unit Commendation
 * 1108 - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
 * 1113 - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
 * 1114 - Navy Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Navy Unit Commendation
 * A complete listing of NMCB 11s Vietnam:  Unit, Individual, and letters of commendation: see appendices 2-5
 * Complete Seabee Teams Report by: Commander Naval Construction Battalion U.S. Pacific Fleet, Tân Sơn Nhất, Republic of Vietnam, Completion Report 1963-1972.