70th Seabee Anniversary

SEABEES CAN DO!

MOTTO

Construimus, Batuimus

"With compassion for others,
we build, we fight,
for peace with freedom."

WHEN IS THE REAL SEABEE BIRTHDAY?

The real Seabee Birthday has long been a matter of conjecture. Several documents, which each give a different date and piece of historical information, highlight the possibilities as to the true beginnings of the Seabees. When the Seabee Division of the Bureau of Yards and Docks was created in 1954, attention focused on this problem. At that time, December 28th was celebrated as the Seabee Birthday. This date was not a good one, however, because of its proximity to the Marine Corps Birthday and the fact that it fell between Christmas and New Years holidays. And so, it was decided to research the topic.

Webster’s Dictionary defines birthday as being:

1. the day on which a person is born;
2. a day of origin or commencement ; or
3. an anniversary of one’s birth.

Further investigation revealed that the following dates could possibly be significant:

October 31, 1941: In response to a request by the Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks, the Chief of the Bureau of Navigation directed the formation of a Headquarters Construction Company of 99 men for duty in Iceland. These men, combined with four other companies formed the core of what would be the Bobcats and the First Naval Construction Battalion.

December 28, 1941: The Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks sent a formal request to the Chief of the Bureau of Navigation outlining the creation of one Naval Construction Regiment of 3300 officers and men.

March 5, 1942: The Chief of the Bureau of Navigation approved the designation of Construction Battalions as “Seabees” and authorized the use of the Seabee insignia on major items of equipment.

March 19, 1942: The Secretary of the Navy gave the Civil Engineer Corps officer in Charge of a Construction Battalion authority over all officers and men assigned to his unit.

On the basis of the criteria established, the date of March 5th was selected as the best birth date since it was technically the date the Navy approved the “Seabee” name and insignia. It was also the anniversary of the Civil Engineer Corps which allowed both the Seabee Birthday and the CEC Anniversary to be celebrated simultaneously. The new birthday was celebrated for the first time on March 5, 1955.

And that’s why the Seabee Birthday is celebrated on March 5th.

SEABEE SONG

We're the Seabees of the Navy
We can build and we can fight
We'll pave our way to victory
and guard it day and night.

We promise we'll remember
the "Seventh of December"
We're the Seabees of the Navy
Bees of the Seven Seas.

The Navy wanted men
That's where we came in
Mister Brown and Mister Jones
The Owens, the Cohens and Flynn

The Navy wanted more
Of Uncle Sammy's kin
So we all joined up
And brother we're in to win

We're the Seabees of the Navy
We can build and we can fight
We'll pave our way to victory
and guard it day and night.

We promise we'll remember
the "Seventh of December"
We're the Seabees of the Navy
Bees of the Seven Seas.

Unofficial third verse:

We're the Seabees of the Navy
The "Can Do" men in green
In war or peace you'll find us
ready on the scene.

And no matter what our mission
we'll uphold our proud tradition
We're the Seabees of the Navy
Bees of the Seven Seas.

Words by Sam M. Lewis
Music by Peter de Rose