VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Navy's Underwater Construction Teams -- one here on the East Coast and one on the West Coast -- date back to 1974.
February 15 marked 50 years of service.
For a half-century, the Seabees have deployed to every continent and participated in subsurface construction missions such as repairing and re-opening piers, wharves, and ports; providing mission-critical waterfront facilities during combat operations; and providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief following natural disasters.
UCT-1 Master Chief Brian Strantz is excited about the teams reaching the five-decade mark.
"Fifty feels nice. So, it's definitely a big milestone for us to hit our 50th. And we look forward to another 50 more," he said.
The Seabee diving community can trace its roots back to World War II, when specially trained Seabees qualified as Navy divers and participated in underwater demolition of reef obstructions, beach clearing operations, and in-shore construction necessary for the development of channels, harbors, and mooring facilities for the fleet.
"We never give up. We always find a way to make things work. We will make things work with little to no people at all as well as, make it work with as many people as we can have. There's just nothing that we cannot do," said Construction Electrician First Class Tim Dailey.
The Seabees Memorial outside Arlington National Cemetery may say it best: "With willing hearts and skillful hands, the difficult we do at once. The impossible takes a bit longer."