Associated General Contractors

Construction Goes Overseas

During WWII the Navy and Marines island-hopped the Pacific and the Army slogged across Europe, general contractors followed.

The Navy built their Battalions with experienced, highly skilled craftsmen … electricians, carpenters, plumbers, equipment operators — virtually any construction or building trade was welcome in the Seabees. Seabee units were quickly engaged in construction and combat. By July 1942, the first Naval Construction Battalion landed on Midway Island to begin work on the new airstrip on Sand Island and to start the massive clean up of damage caused by the Japanese bombing.

From the construction and defense of Henderson Field on Guadalcanal to the Normandy Invasion. Seabees participated in every major amphibious assault in World War II. They quickly earned a reputation for exceptional creativity. If materials weren’t available, the Seabees used whatever they could to get the job done.

More than 325,000 men served with the Seabees in World War II, fighting and building in more than 400 locations before the war's end. They knew more than 60 skilled trades. In addition, nearly 8,000 Civil Engineer Corps officers served with the Seabees.

There were even more builders serving with the Army Corps of Engineers. Beginning in June 1943, the AGC began helping the Corps secure skilled labor for construction on the front lines. When the recruits arrived, they cleared enemy obstacles, conducted surveys, built and repaired roads, created airstrips, erected bridges, repaired ports, put down pipelines, and laid rails. In Europe alone the Corps of Engineers built more than 4,000 miles of roads, 19,000 miles of railroads, and 680 bridges, literally paving the way to Berlin.

Content from this page: Building on Experience AGC 100 Years book and Seabee Museum and Memorial Park website.