NMCB 11 Combines Assets with UCT 1, Enters Evaluation Phase of FEX

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. (NNS) -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11 is currently being evaluated by Naval Construction Group (NCG) 2 during the Final Evaluation Problem (FEP) portion of its field exercise (FEX), and part of that evaluation includes successful completion of various construction projects.

The battalion's Charlie Detachment has been working in tandem with Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 1 to secure a Forward Operating Base in a location apart from NMCB-11's main body. There, the Seabees of NMCB-11 have multiple projects.

Builder 3rd Class Jacob D. Wheelock is crew leader for two of the projects, a four-hole-burnout, and a 16 feet by 32 feet Southwest Asia (SWA) hut. The four-hole-burnout is complete, and construction on the SWA hut is in full swing.

"The crew is smart and motivated and everyone's doing their part, chipping in," said Wheelock, a Verona, N.Y. native. "The project is coming along, but the scenarios can be time consuming."

Wheelock is glad that the notional threat of chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) attacks has been neutralized because that proved to be the biggest time consumer slowing down construction. "We are still getting hit with other scenarios, but everything seems to be going smooth at this point."

UCT-1 and NMCB-11 combined assets to sweep, secure the area, and set up defensive positions where NMCB-11's Charlie Detachment will remain until the FEX has ended.

Home-ported in Gulfport, Miss., NMCB 11 is a Seabee battalion specializing in contingency construction, disaster response, and humanitarian assistance. UCT-1 is based in Virginia Beach, Va. and is prepared to execute underwater construction tasking in both permissive and non-permissive environments and in climates ranging from the Tropics to extreme cold weather.

For more news from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11, visit www.navy.mil/local/nmcb11/.