30th NCR Officially Relocates to CBC Port Hueneme
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS060718-01
Release Date: 7/18/2006 7:56:00 AM
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW/FMF) Chad V. Pritt, 30th Naval Construction Regiment Public Affairs
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- Seabees from the 30th Naval Construction Regiment (NCR) officially raised the command’s flag over their new headquarters building at Construction Battalion Center (CBC), Naval Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme, Calif., July 5, heralding in a new era of Pacific Fleet Seabee command and control.
The 30th NCR staff moved from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to be near its six subordinate commands, five of which are located at CBC Port Hueneme. Naval Mobile Construction Battalions 3, 4, 5 and 40 and Underwater Construction Team 2 are currently stationed at CBC Port Hueneme, while Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 303, which has detachments throughout the West Coast and Hawaii, is headquartered in San Diego.
“This will move us closer to our subordinate commands,” said Commander, 30th NCR, Capt. Kate Gregory. “It will provide us better command and control, as well as unity of command.”
The staff of the 30th NCR is relatively small, about 46 officers and enlisted, but that doesn’t mean that all personnel have made the move to Port Hueneme. About 10 Seabees stayed behind in Pearl Harbor due to operational commitments, and the cost and inconvenience of relocating everybody at once.
“It provides a smooth transition to the organizations we support in Pearl Harbor,” said Gregory. “They’ll still have a face on the island to talk to. Leaving folks behind is a good transitional tool.”
Most personnel who moved to Port Hueneme from Pearl Harbor have less than a year and a half aboard the command. The remainder of the personnel in Pearl Harbor will leave at their planned rotation date, allowing their reliefs to report directly to Port Hueneme. The move is expected to be complete by the end of summer 2007.
The 30th NCR has been planning its move off the island since before getting the official notice from the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV) in late February. This preplanning has allowed the regiment to efficiently execute the move.
“Commodore Blount and everybody on the staff did a great job minimizing disruption to our folks here and Port Hueneme; most importantly our battalions,” said Gregory, who relieved Capt. Michael L. Blount as the commodore of the 30th NCR in May.
As the commander of all Naval Construction Forces assigned to the Pacific Fleet area of responsibility, the 30th NCR will still maintain ties to Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMPACFLT).
“[The move] shouldn’t affect our relationship [with PACFLT] at all,” said Gregory. “We have a good communications plan in place with PACFLT, and it should be seamless with them and the other units we support.”
The relocation of the regiment to Port Hueneme has been bittersweet, as the command says “aloha” to its island host.
“It’s impossible to replicate the sense of camaraderie and Aloha tradition,” said Gregory. “As eager as we are to move to Port Hueneme, we will always remember and cherish our Hawaiian history.”
Moving isn’t new to the 30th NCR, which moved many times during the island hopping campaign of World War II, and later during the Vietnam conflict. During its history, the 30th NCR has been stationed on Saipan, Guam and Danang, Republic of Vietnam. The latest iteration of the command, formerly 3rd Naval Construction Brigade, began its tour in Hawaii in 1992. It officially became the 30th NCR in 2002 after the realignment of all Naval Construction Force units under the First Naval Construction Division.
For related news, visit the Commander, 1st Naval Construction Division Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/1ncd/.
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