THE SEABEES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 13 January 1944, Page 2

THE SEABEES

HIVES OF INDUSTRY “BUILD SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING” It has been said that the most outstanding American inventions of the war are the jeep and the Seabee, says a writer in the "Sydney Morning Herald.” There is a saying which has become legendary and which has been quoted and requoted. It is supposed to have come from a report and read: “And as soon as the Marines had the position in hand, the Seabees had a bridge over it.” The Marines win a beachhead, and with them on the ships, but following on hand, come the Seabees (Construction Battalions). They bring their bulldozers and graders and rollers, and great mechanical cranes. They also bring their rifles and sub-machine guns, for they can best be described as combat engineers. They have an esprit de corps, and they have won a tradition which cannot be surpassed. The Seabees build roads, bridges, airstrips, docks, floating docks. They seem to be able to make anything with anything from nothing. Coming out from the States a mainshaft broke on one of the cargo ships. The captain thought that it was a job for a dry dock —but he had Seabees on board! For four days they struggled with the shaft and eventually got it out. Then they spent "2 hours on end welding the shaft. In one day they fitted the shaft into its housings. On Guadalcanar, an officer who was particularly fond of horseback riding, had the good fortune to find a horse. Unfortunately, though, he had no saddle. The Seabees made him one ! The sequel to .he story is rather sad. The officer tied up his steed to a species of poisonous plant and the poor beast subsequently passed away. Still, the officer retained his saddle. The Seabees are not young. Mostly they come from skilled trades, and have had 15 years and sometimes more of trade experience. All are volunteers. Their average age in one unit, if not generally, is 31, and 92 per cent, are married. This average age of 31 is very high for men constantly under the strain of battle conditions. There are* men of 50 who have served in the ranks at New Georgia, and I have seen one grandpapa who has been on Guadalcanar since the early days. When they first came to this island they orkec' 10 hours a day —they had to. But the strain of such work in a tropu climate was too much, and after three months the hours were cut down to eight and a half. During that time “Washing Machine Charlie,” the name given a series of Japanese night bombers, dropped “eggs” on them from above, and from the distant mountains “Patrol Pete” shelled them consistently. During the first 180 days there were 176 air raids. Men in the ranks who are married are paid 94 dollars a month. In the States they would earn up to 300 dollars a month. This fact adds humour to the joke found in one of Seabee publications which quotes a defence worker as saying: “1 like my new job —having a wonderful time and a half.” The Seabees are the brain children of Admiral B. Moreel. of the Bureau of Yards and Docks. There are different formations. Some are devoted to stevedoring—loadin'" and unloading ships is their speciality—although they are also t: ned in construction. Most -of the work consists of the building of roads, bridges, airfields, docks, hospitals, and camps. They work with strange primeval-looking iron-clad and bulldozers, sheep’s foot rollers which crush and smooth out the soil, graders and cranes with drag-lines which scoop out culverts and load trucks The Seabees are polite and courteous hosts, and it was pleasant to sit and yarn with the “chiefs” of a veteran battalion, Quyjn and Cunningham, Lewis McShane and Bill Butler. They told me strange stories of the island —of the funny little coconut monkeys, which seem half opossum and half rat; of the “Tojo” bird which always cries out when there is an air raid approaching; of the delight of the Filipino cook at capturing a large lizard, with the result that the officers would not touch soup for a week. BRAVE NATIVE They told me, too, of the famous chief, Satin Boutha, hero of the island in the early days. The Japanese captured Satin, tied him to a tree, and asked him the whereabouts of the marine gun positions. Satin did not reply, and the Japanese stabbed him in seven different places. They left him for dead, but Satin freed himself of his bonds, and made his way to the Marines. He refused hospital treatment until he had told them where the Japanese were camped. They rewarded him with high honours, and made him an honorary member of the Marines. Satin is now trading, and hopes to send his son to be educated in America. Lewis told me of a Seabee who had a bad rash over his body, which had also got into his eyes and “bunged them up.” The doctors could give him nothing to relieve him, but a native offered to cure him. He rubbed an ointment over the man’s body and in two days he was, healed. But the native would not give away the secret of the ointment. I was hospitably entertained at the camp of a special Seabee unit. We had turkey and ice cream for lunch ! I talked with the editor and managing editor of the unit newspaper, a very creditable daily which is mimeographed and contains a cartoon drawn by the editor. SEABEE POETRY From their files 1 extracted the following verse, which, though not of Poet Laureate standard, rings truly and is of sterling worth. “We build something out of nothing —that is all we have up here, Our equipment has been chiselled to build bases to the rear, We do it if its difficult —at once—of that we’re proud, But if it is impossible some time must be allowed. We are first-class construction men, whatever be the name, We will play the game and win it—we’ll let you name the game.” Of the stories of Seabee deeds there is no end. and let us hope that some competent writer % may write of their deeds in book form —perhaps in library form. There is the story of the aircraft carrier which caught afire in action. A squad of Seabees was put aboard and fought the flames while bombing and the shelling continued and the planes rose and landed from the carrier's deck. At the landing of New Georgia a Texan Seabee who lost a brother at Pearl Harbour went ashore with his carbine and disappeared. He was seeking revenge in the hills. There, too, a Seabee drove his bulldozer all day and all through the dozen air raids which took place. He drove it off the ship in the morning, built a coral ramp, and then went into the jungle constructing roads. At Munda a forward patrol saw some unarmed men clad variously in blue slacks and singlets. “What are you doing here?” they were asked. “Is this the front line? We are look-

ing for souvenirs.” “This is not the front line,” they were firmly told. “This is in front of the front line. Clear out.”