Seabees of the Navy, 1942 - 1997: A Bibliography
World War II: Establishment and Growth
By Steven C. Karoly
Books
20 Aaron, Hugh. Letters
from the Good War: A Young Man's Discovery of the World. Belfast, ME: Stones Point Press, 1997. 712p.
21 Bowman, Waldo G. American
Military Engineering in Europe, from Normandy to the Rhine: A
Series of Articles on Army and Navy Construction Work Written
from the European Theater of Operations Between December 1944 and
April 1945. Rpt. of Engineering News-Record articles. New
York: McGraw-Hill, 1946. 102p. Smith: 596 and 9873. Ziegler: 482.
Although this work primarily records the deeds of the U. S. Army
Corps of Engineers in the ETO, Bowman does incorporate some data
on Seabee units.
22 Bowers, Nathan A., Waldon
G. Bowman, Archie N. Carter, Edward J. Cleary and Harold W.
Richardson. Bulldozers Came First: The Story of U. S. War
Construction in Foreign Lands. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1944.
278p. Smith: 9876.
Tells the story of overseas construction by the Seabees and Army
Corps of Engineers. They impress upon the reader of the necessity
of engineers in modern warfare.
23 Castillo, Edmund L. The
Seabees of World War II. New York: Random, 1963. 190p. Enser:
p. 458. Smith: 9878. Ziegler: 491.
Written as a juvenile book, Castillo portrays the history of the
Seabees in World War II. Retired Admiral Ben Moreell wrote the
forward.
24 Cave, Hough B. We Build,
We Fight. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1944. 122p. Enser:
p. 458. Smith: 9879.
Recounts the early history of the "miracle men of the
Navy." He discusses Seabee organization and training and
tells of their accomplishments in the South Pacific, Aleutians,
Iceland, Bermuda, Africa and Mediterranean.
25 Cooper, Philip C. Pete. The Engineer in War and Peace: From Guadalcanal to Main Street. Baltimore: Gateway Press, 1996. 206p.
26 DeLaurenis, Rocky. Laughing
& Griping with the 97th Seabees. National City, CA: Bay
Port Press, 1983. 189p.
An autobiographical account of DeLaurenis' tour with the 97th
Seabees in the United Kingdom.
27 Hoyt, Edwin P. Now Here
This: The Story of American Sailors in World War II. New
York: Paragon House, 1993. 298p.
Third in a series. Hoyt describes the life of World War II
servicemen from their personal stories. Several Seabee stories
are included.
27 Huie, William Bradford. Can Do!: The Story of the Seabees. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1944. 250p. Smith: 9891.
Huie, editor of the American Mercury and author of two
books (Mud on the Stars and The Fight for Air Power)
before joining the Seabees, presents the Seabee story, often in
their own words. He introduced the concept of the five roads to
victory so often seen in World War II Seabee writings. Appendices
include lists of awards and casualties and an introduction to
Seabee poetry. The introduction is written by (then) Vice Admiral
Ben Moreell. The books has recently been re-printed by the Naval
Institute Press.
29 ________. From Omaha to Okinawa: The Story of the Seabees. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1945. 257p. Enser: p. 314.
Smith: 9892. Ziegler: 2613.
Huie continues his earlier work, sharing Seabee adventures during
the last year of the war. Appendices include a listing of every
Seabee battalion and were they served in World War II.
30 ________ and Ervine Metzl. The
Seabee Roads to Victory: A Brochure of Maps Depicting the
World-wide Activities of the Naval Construction Battalions.
New York: E. P. Dutton, 1944. 34p. Smith: 9894.
As announced by the title, Huie again explains the work of the
Seabees. Where wartime censorship allows, he lists achievements
of individual Seabee battalions and their locations.
31 Lane, James B. and Stephan G. McShane, eds. Skinning Cats: The Wartime Letters of Tom Krueger. Chicago: Calumet Regional Archives and Catttails Press. 1985.
32 Lent, Henry B. SeaBee:
Bill Scott Builds and Fights for the Navy. New York:
McMilliam, 1944. 176p.
One of several books by Lent during the war. He tells the story
of one sailor's experience as he learned to be a Seabee during
boot camp and advanced training. Other titles include PT Boat and
Aviation Cadet. His books follow the same format:. They
tell the story of the training it takes to be a Seabee or PT boat
sailor or aviator or bombardier.
33 Miller, Max. The Far
Shore. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1945. 173p.
Miller gives the landing craft coxswain's and Seabee bulldozer
driver's view of life on the Far Shore. In his view, these are
the heroes of the Normandy and Southern France landings in 1944.
34 Miller, Max. It's
Tomorrow Out Here. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1945. Enser: p.
315. Ziegler: 2646.
Miller describes life in the Pacific, especially after the combat
troops have moved forward to the next island landing. His story
centers on the garrison force left to build up the island to
support future operations. He includes several descriptions of
the Seabees.
35 Poulton, Jane Weaver, ed. A
Better Legend: From the World War II Letters of Jack and Jane
Poulton. Charlotteville: University Press of Virginia, 1993.
272p.
Jack Poulton served with the 27th Seabees on Tulagi, Guadalcanal,
Emirau and Okinawa. Titled A Better Legend because Jane
Poulton believes the "saying that lovers make better legend
than heroes do."
36 Preston, Walter H. A
Part of My Life in World War II: A Report by an Ex-Seabee. n.
p. 1993. 36p.
A self-published, personal account by a World War II Seabee. A
copy of his story is found in the library of the historian's
officer in Port Hueneme, CA.
37 Raitt, Nathan S. The
Navy Seabees: Their Early Days. Venice, FL: Raitt, 1983, 20p.
As a Chief Yeoman stationed with the Seabees at Davisville and
Camps Allen and Peary, he recounts early history of the Seabees
at these bases. Commissioned in 1942, Raitt left the Seabees for
the Naval Air Force.
38 Sill, Van Rensselaer. American
Miracle: The Story of War Construction Around the World. New
York: The Odyssey Press, 1947. 301p. Smith: 9915. Ziegler: 567.
Describes American war construction by all Federal construction
agencies during World War II, civilian and military. Includes a
report on Navy construction, civilian and Seabee, by Rear Admiral
John Manning, post-war Seabee chief. It's full of wartime
construction statistics and appropriations data. A chronology of
war construction activities is added at the end.
39 Skordiles, Kimon. The Seabees in War and Peace. 2 vols. California: Argus, 1972.
40 Smith, S. E., ed. The
United States Navy in World War II. New York: William Marrow,
1966. 1049p.
Smith compiled a collection of accounts written by the
participants and correspondents of World War II. Three reprints
from Huie's Can Do! are included: Huie, "Men and Mud,"
441-9; W. J. Burke and Huie, "The Panzers Were Waiting for
Us," 545-52; and Dee Harden, "I Got the Pipe You Sent
Me," 708-9.
41 Stanford, Alfred B. Force
Mulberry: The Planning and Installation of the Artificial Harbor
of U.S. Normandy Beaches in World War II New York"
William Morrow and Company, 1951. 240p.
Stanford details the design, assembly and construction of the
American artificial harbor, called Mulberry "A," at
Omaha Beach. Much of this book deals with the 108th Seabees, the
unit which was responsible for construction of the Mulberry.
Stanford was deputy commander of harbor during the invasion.
42 Sweet, Alton. My Seabee
Story. n.p. c. 1973. 78p.
An autobiographical account of Sweet's tour with the 33rd Seabees
in the Solomon Islands. A copy is found in the CEC/Seabee Museum
library in Port Hueneme, CA.
43 United States Navy. Bureau
of Yards and Docks. Build and Fight with the Seabees and
Follow Your Trade in the Navy. Washington: GPO, April 30,
1943. 28p.
A recruiting brochure directed at the construction industry.
44 United States Navy. Bureau
of Yards and Docks. Building the Navy's Bases in World War II:
History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer
Corps, 1940-1946. 2 vols. Washington: GPO, 1947. Coletta
(1981): 3121. Higham (1981): 556. Smith: 9924.
This is a detailed work on the history of Naval construction in
World War II. Volume I focuses on construction in the continental
U. S. by contractors, describes Seabee establishment,
organization, equipage and training. Overseas construction by the
Seabees is outlined in Volume II. This work is very difficult to
find. Few libraries have on their shelves.
45 United States Navy. Bureau
of Yards and Docks. The Civil Engineer Corps of the United
States Naval Reserve. Washington: GPO, 1942. 31p.
This recruiting brochure describes the mission of the Navy's
Civil Engineer Corps. Included are Navy officer pay and
allowances, the qualifications for a Naval Reserve commission and
typical assignments.
46 United States Navy. Bureau of Yards and Docks. The Seabees: United States Naval Construction Battalions. Washington: GPO, c. 1944. 80p. A report of Seabee progress during the first part of the war.
47 White, Robert J. Tamarick
White, Orygun Seabee in War and Peace. Hillsboro, OR:
Sagebrush Heritage, 1990. 298p.
White tells his life story starting in 1942. He served with the
16th Seabees in World War II and the 18th Seabees in the Naval
Reserve.
48 Woodbury, David O. Builders
for Battle: How the Pacific Naval Air Bases were Constructed.
New York: E. P. Dutton, 1946. 415p. Smith: 10085. Ziegler: 610.
Tells the story of how civilian contractors built the Pacific
Naval Air Bases in the years preceding World War II. Introduces
the Seabees later in the book. The introduction is written by
Admiral Ben Moreell.
Fiction
49 Aaron, Hugh. When
Wars Were Won. Belfast, ME: Stones
Point Press, 1995. 270p.
This is the only work of Seabee fiction I have seen. The author
was a World War II Seabee with the 113th Seabees.
Other Publications
50 Gallant, Jack. "Long Ago and Far Away: The Story of the 63rd Seabees." World War II Fact Sheet. Washington: Navy & Marine Corps Commemorative Committee, c. 1992. 2p.
51 Germinski, Robert A. "The Fighting Seabees." World
War II Fact Sheet. Washington: Navy & Marine Corps
Commemorative Committee, c. 1992. 2p.
Brief, two-page history of the World War II Seabees.
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