Seabees The Navy’s Fighting Construction Men, “Photographed by The Seabees Army Navy Marines and Army Air Corps”,
“Seabees The World Over Reel 1 of 5 Rear Admiral B. Moreell at desk presents re Bureau of Yards & Docks and the increase in Seabees numbers since Pearl Harbor attack – ‘The Navy’s Fighting Construction Men’. 16:03:06 AVs Japanese planes over Pearl Harbor, Midway, Tahiti? Civilian US workmen pre-war. Pearl Harbor attack reenacted – Japanese planes drop bombs; explosions at naval base; wounded carried on stretchers and fire. Hoisting Stars & Stripes. 16:05:31 Flow of men out of train platform and queuing up for recruitment into Construction Battalion – ‘Seabees’; training scenes; briefing; malaria prevention; obstacle course; landing on beach; pass in review. Seabees singing; boarding train and embark on large transport ship. 16:07:44 Map shows Dutch harbor in Pacific Aleutians. Ship in harbor with snow-capped mountain. Seabees w/ surveying equipment. Explosion; steam shovel and bulldozer; hammering and sawing. Lumber yard. AV pan over Northern naval base. Seabees repair destroyer; fixed destroyer at sea, rejoins task force. Seabees / troops on deck. WWII. Pacific War.”
“Landing, unloading and preparing naval base on Attu. Coal gathered in hoists. Seabee stevedores carry supplies across desolate landscape. Base camp and chow – troops eating and drinking coffee. Prefab building parts unloaded and hospital assembled in 5 hrs. Gas pump. Bulldozers churning earth. POV from boat showing completed naval base on shoreline. 16:13:47 Map showing distance from Japan to Midway Island. Seabees salvaging ships damaged at Pearl Harbor. 16:14:17 Marines landing at Guadalcanal and battle; Guadalcanal base constructed. AV column of Marines march across island. Heavy guns fired. AV wrecked planes. Seabees working under fire at Henderson Field. Japanese plane shot down. Seabees repairing bomb crater. Finished runway and bomber takes off. 16:18:25 Animation w/ shadows of planes over Pacific towards Japan.”
“Seabees The World Over Reel 3 of 5 Naval battle – VS Japanese air assault on US carrier; planes take off from carrier; heavy guns fired; deck showered w/ debris. Seabees put out flames and repair damaged carrier; VS damage to carrier. 16:21:43 Map of Solomon Islands – Rendova. VS landing and establishing beachhead. Troops through jungle. Anti-aircraft gun installed on beach. Japanese planes attack – fire on beach. Medical truck; injured troops. Jungle sniper fire. Dead Japanese soldiers. Construction of naval base; big gun wheeled out under cover. 16:25:44 Munda Point – dead trees on horizon; wrecked planes; dead Japanese. Seabees prepare landing strip – calendar superimposed shows progress to finished airfield – USAF fighter makes emergency landing; MS pilot waves from cockpit; more landings.”
“Seabees The World Over Reel 4 of 5 Flood at base camp on Solomons. Seabees traipsing through mud. CU mosquito. Men sick with malaria; stretcher loaded onto landing craft. Military funeral w/ bugler. Spraying insecticide for malaria prevention. Water cisterns at camp filtered. “Drinking water” sign. ‘Los Angeles City Limits’ sign nailed to tree. Camp activity following defeat of malaria. Men off in truck. 16:31:39 Explosions in jungle and trees felled for new road and airfield construction. 16:32:33 Headlines re Italy capitulation and Allied invasion; zoom-in map of Scotland. 16:32:54 Clyde – Scottish base where preparations for European D-Day & North African invasions took place; harbour views w/ newly-constructed docks. Troops embark on LST to North Africa. Causeways laid in Oran harbour. Naval convoy en route to Sicily; sea battle and landing crafts dispatched. 16:35:59 Sicily landing. Causeway to shore. Bulldozer on beach.”
“Seabees The World Over Reel 5 of 5 Sicily landing – German dive bombers attack beach; transport ship burning; unloading of troops and tanks continues. Men and vehicles disembark on causeway. Guns firing in countryside. Seabees clean up wrecks and debris on beach. 16:39:50 Allied vehicles through Sicilian towns. Map shows advance. Convoys near coast of Italy towards Salerno and affront air raids; troops off landing craft onto beach; dive bombers crash into sea. Allied ships burning. Unloading under fire. Wrecked Allied equipment and German bomber on beach. Wounded troops. More unloading. General Clark. 16:42:58 Allied convoys on road to Naples. Italian civilians wave. 16:43:18 Rear Admiral B. Moreell at desk concludes;”
