Page 47 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2017

With the end of the war, activities began to phase down and the only active part was the warehouse and open storage area. Portions of the base were out-leased with Gulfport Memorial Hospital using the 300-bed dispensary and four adjacent buildings. In October 1948, 95 railroad cars delivered the first of many shipments of bauxite (aluminum ore) for storage on the base, along with other stocks of critical materials.
The Korean War brought renewed interest in the base, and in 1951 the entire base was transferred to the Bureau of Yards and Docks, which began to plan for its possible re-use by Seabees. In 1952 the base was designated a Naval Construction Battalion Center. A caretaker staff was provided to care for the equipment and materials.
In the mid 1960s with the Vietnam War starting, the Navy’s decision to commission nine new Seabee battalions to meet its needs for 19 active battalions led to the full activation of the Gulfport base. Five battalions were commissioned at Gulfport and deployed to Vietnam. The value of the Seabees to the surrounding area was proven when Hurricane Camille devastated the area in 1969 and thousands of Seabees assisted in the recovery effort.
Funding provided to the base to replace buildings damaged by the hurricane became a deciding factor when the Navy drew down to nine battalions after the Vietnam
War, and the Gulfport base remained open. Four home- ported battalions along with the NCTC became the norm for the next 16 years with the battalions routinely making seven-month deployments around the world.
The invasion of Kuwait in 1990 brought increased activity to Gulfport. Battalions had their deployment plans changed and several reserve battalions were activated to support that effort. As the battalions were returning to their regular schedules, new warehouses were added to Gulfport.
The events of 9/11 again focused the Seabees on the Middle East. A new battalion was commissioned at Gulfport while the base activity increased as all the reserve units were activated to support that effort.
Hurricane Katrina arrived to set a new record of devastation. As before, the Seabees paused to support the recovery effort. The base became a focal point with much of the recovery effort directed from there as government agencies used some of the warehouses.
With the drawdown after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, CBC Gulfport has seen its active units reduced to three battalions with two reserve battalions. The base’s readiness to support Seabees around the world remains steady.
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Seabees parade their heavy equipment downtown Gulfport.
Seabees responding to Hurricane Camille.
Group image taken prior to deployment to Dong Xoai, Vietnam.
Equipment Inspection Layout.