Question about Seabees

<p>I was looking for information on Seabees on the USNA website. If you got into the USNA and were interested in engineering, is it possible to be assigned to the Seabees? How would that work?</p>

<p>Well, from past experience and rumblings since, it is not at all common for someone to roll from USNA straight into the Seabees.</p>

<p>IIRC, Seabees is run by Engineering Duty Officers (EDOs), which are not Line Officers (which is what USNA produces).</p>

<p>I'm not saying it CAN'T be done, but if Seabees is your prime focus, I suggest you do lots of research first to ensure you are not disappointed later.</p>

<p>Best of luck. :)</p>

<p>Actually, Seabees are runned by CEC Officers (Civil Engineering Corps), not Engineering Duty Officers (EDO). CEC officers are staff corps like Supply Corps officers. Engineering Duty Officers are restricted line. USNA does provide CEC and EDO officers upon graduation. I am not sure of the exact number each year.</p>

<p>^^^^^
There aren't very many billets available for commissioning into the CEC directly out of the Naval Academy. I was one of eight in my class who received CEC commissions at graduation. Some classes have had only one or two midshipmen receive CEC commissions. Planning on a CEC/Seabee service selection from the Naval Academy is not something that I would recommend. You would have a better chance of being selected for the CEC out of a Navy ROTC program with a major in Civil Engineering or Architecture, although they will accept just about any engineering degree.</p>

<p>Most academy graduates who end up in the CEC, apply for a Line to Staff Corps transfer after completing their warfare qualification. After being commissioned in the CEC, officers are required to qualify as a Seabee Combat Warfare Officer during an operational tour of duty. CEC officers are the only staff corps that commands combat units in the Navy.</p>

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Actually, Seabees are runned by CEC Officers (Civil Engineering Corps), not Engineering Duty Officers (EDO).

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<p>Aw, crap! I'd forgotten about the CEC! You're absolutely right.</p>

<p>GA answered the rest. :)</p>

<p>Curious about this. Would a prior Seabee be given a special look for CED upon graduation from USNA?</p>

<p>"There aren't very many billets available for commissioning into the CEC directly out of the Naval Academy. I was one of eight in my class who received CEC commissions at graduation. Some classes have had only one or two midshipmen receive CEC commissions"</p>

<p>Are you a Seabee now? Does it depend on how many billets are available when you graduate? I am also interested in being a pilot, but I love engineering also.</p>

<p>GA mentioned the lateral transfer process. If you are really interested in being a pilot and an engineer, there are a couple of excellent programs. One you can become a pilot and then follow the process to become an Aeronautical Engineering Duty Officer, which includes receiving a Master's Degree in aero. Or, you could go the route of test pilot school which will also involve alot of engineering.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Would a prior Seabee be given a special look for CED upon graduation from USNA?

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</p>

<p>Crying shame I didn't keep in touch with one of my plebes. He was a former Seabee.</p>

<p>Normally, I would think not, BUT....... since Seabees are a rather specialized corner of the Navy, it WOULD make sense to send them back there, wouldn't it?</p>

<p>It's not a whole lot different than a prior-enlisted SEAL. What are they gonna do, stick him on a destroyer?</p>

<p>I can't help but wonder if some enlisted with specialized qualifications (SEAL, Seabee, maybe even Intel/Crypto) are accepted to USNA with the understanding that they will emerge as officers in those fields.</p>

<p>Very interesting, indeed.</p>

<p>I am only going by what my daughter found last year when applying - </p>

<p>She wanted to major in Civil engineering - USNA does not have a civil engineering major.<br>
The catalog says that all USNA grads must commission into an unrestricted line job unless they are not able to do that for medical reasons. The CED is restricted - therefore I think one would have to be not medically eligible to go there right out of the academy. Perhaps there are exceptions to this dependent upon the "needs of the Navy" and class rank - sounds risky though.</p>

<p>In this case it might be more prudent to major in Civil eng. at a civilian school and go for an NROTC scholarship.
Another alternative ---might want to look at USMA - can major in Civil engineering (one of the best programs in the country) and the Corps of Engineers is a combat branch.</p>

<p>Dad was a seabee!!!! Built runways on Okinawa - "Tempest in a Teapot"...God rest his soul!!!! Found his seabee chest years after..... uniforms, medals, pics, all folded carefully and tucked inside....... and his "seabee" insignia carved into the top of the chest! </p>

<p>
[quote]

May 10, 1943 </p>

<p>MEMORANDUM:</p>

<p>Effective this date, this command will henceforth be known as the 121st Naval Construction Battalion re-designated 3rd Battalion, 20th Regiment, 4th Marine Division.</p>

<p>/s/ W. G. Byrne</p>

<p>Lt. Cmdr. CEC USNR</p>

<p>

[/quote]
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<p>
[quote]
<br>
United States Naval Mobile Construction Battalion ONE has a proud and distinguished history, reaching back to the early days of World War II, when it was first commissioned as Naval Construction Battalion ONE. Since its recommissioning as Naval Mobile Construction Battalion ONE in 1949, NMCB ONE has served with distinction for over 49 years of active commissioned service.</p>

<p>The first Seabee Detachment deployed in early 1942. Originally scheduled for Iceland, it was hastily rerouted to Bora Bora in the South Pacific. In the Pacific, Seabees built more than 100 major airfields, 100 piers, 700 square blocks of warehouses, hospitals for 70,000 patients, storage tanks for one million gallons of fuel, and housing for 1.5 million men. On Tinian, Seabees placed enough asphalt to pave a road from New York to Boston; and at the same time, excavated enough coral to build three Hoover Dams.</p>

<p>

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<p>the building of the runway: In their words
America's</a> Greatest Generation: Navy Heroes: 62nd NCB- SEABEEs',</p>

<p><a href="http://www.hotmcl.org/navy3.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.hotmcl.org/navy3.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Navy</a> Seabee Veterans Of America, Inc. - Unit Pages</p>

<p>Thank you to all of you for the information. My Dad is actually a Seabee too, but is on AT, so haven't had the opportunity to speak with him about it. I was just curious. He worked in Gitmo building Camp X-Ray, and I love to hear all the guys stories when hey get together once a year. That's funny, NAVY2010, because he lived in Okinawa when he was active duty in the 80's. That is great that you found his Seabee chest. There is so much to learn by going through it. Thank you again everyone for the information.</p>

<p>One of my friends is a prior-Seabee. No she's not given any special reccomendation to go back to one. As we just had a restricted line/staff corps pro-quiz I can tel you all about this. The CEC is restricted and so only people who have certain medical issues can go restricted because USNA produces Line officers. So of the chance that a prior-Seabee happens to have something happen to them that they go restricted it's still not guaranteed that they'll get to go CEC. There are 8 other communites that they could get a billet for.</p>

<p>During this evening's CVW Admissions/Candidate briefing I noticed that there were no CEC/Seabee billets for the Class of 2007.</p>