United States. Naval Construction Battalion Detachment, 1045th
Biography
Construction Battalion Detachment 1045 (CBD 1045) was a specialized U.S. Navy Seabee unit within the Naval Construction Force during World War II. Construction battalion detachments were smaller, purpose-built units — ranging from six to several hundred men — organized to perform specific technical functions rather than general construction work.
The detachment served in the Mediterranean Area during 1944, including deployments to Corsica and Marseille, France, in support of Allied operations in the region. While in the Mediterranean, personnel of CBD 1045 produced The Oily Rag and The Junior Rag, daily newsletters documenting unit activities, war news, and camp life. The detachment was also associated with the Advance Base Depot hut area at Davisville, Rhode Island, a major Seabee staging and logistics installation.
In early 1945, CBD 1045 served as the nucleus around which the 147th Naval Construction Battalion was formed, with personnel and organizational continuity carrying forward into the new battalion's activation.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Andrew J. Blair Collection
This collection contains newsletters, religious service programs, photographs, artwork, and personal ephemera documenting the Navy service of Andrew J. Blair with Construction Battalion Detachment 1045 in the Mediterranean Area and the 147th Naval Construction Battalion on Okinawa. Materials reflect Blair’s roles as organist, assistant chaplain, cartoonist, and illustrator, and document battalion religious life and campus activities.