A crew of 24 Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4 began construction, June 11, on two arched steel panel buildings, called K-Spans, and 372 linear feet of four-foot-high retaining walls during the Integrated Training Exercise (ITX) to improve living standards for more than 800 personnel occupying Camp Wilson in Twentynine Palms.

The two 61x21 foot K-Spans will increase berthing capacity for U.S. Marines during Exercise Mojave Viper, a 14-day training cycle involving a series of progressive live-fire exercises. The retaining walls will prevent further erosion and provide flood protection to existing facilities such as the base fire station and chapel.

During the exercise, NMCB 4 conducted training on the Ultimate Building Machine (UBM). The machine creates buildings of robust steel in days rather than previous methods taking weeks or months. The technology uses an integrated microprocessor to produce unique structures from various designs with ground-to-ground, self-supporting panels that require no beams, trusses, columns, nuts, bolts, fasteners, screws or sealants.

"As an operator of the UBM, I learned to manipulate the radiuses and curvatures of many types of K-Spans," said Steelworker 3rd Class Johnny Hagemann, a participant in the training. "After completing the class, I feel confident that I have the skills and knowledge to install and construct steel structures utilizing the UBM."

The Seabee team has been planning and preparing for the exercise since April. Overcoming the obstacles and challenges such as limited resources and daily temperatures more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the construction is on schedule to be completed by the end of June.

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For more news from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4, visit www.navy.mil/.