United States. Naval Construction Battalion, 147th
Biography
The 147th Naval Construction Battalion (147th NCB) was a U.S. Navy Seabee construction unit formed in February 1945, using Construction Battalion Detachment 1045 as its organizational nucleus. The battalion trained at the Naval Construction Training Center, Camp Endicott, in Davisville, Rhode Island, before transferring to Camp Parks, California, arriving there on April 29, 1945.
The 147th NCB deployed to the Pacific Theater in mid-1945, arriving at Buckner Bay, Okinawa, on July 14, 1945, by way of Eniwetok and Ulithi Atolls. On Okinawa, the battalion was attached to the 39th Naval Construction Regiment, part of the 11th Naval Construction Brigade, effective July 10, 1945. The battalion remained on Okinawa through the end of the war and into the immediate postwar period, contributing to the large-scale Seabee construction effort that built naval base facilities, airfields, and support infrastructure on the island following the Battle of Okinawa.
While stationed on Okinawa, battalion personnel produced Mate Slate, a battalion newsletter documenting camp life, military operations, religious services, sports, and the transition to peacetime following Japan's surrender. The battalion also maintained an active chaplaincy program, with religious services and a battalion chapel established on Okinawa. The 147th NCB was inactivated following the consolidation of Seabee units on Okinawa in late 1945.
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.