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NMCB 1 Electricians Upgrade 'Seabee Village' in Iraq

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080305-12
Release Date: 3/5/2008 2:18:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Demetrius Kennon, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 Public Affairs

IRAQ (NNS) -- Seabees with U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1 and NMCB 15, Task Force Sierra Mainbody (TFS MB), completed installation of a new electrical frequency converter, March 4, shifting their work spaces and berthing from generator to shore power.

The project crew within TFS MB, which is part of a joint task force in Iraq, consists of Seabee construction electricians and utilitiesmen, with additional help from equipment operators.

Before the installation, the Seabees' work spaces operated solely on diesel generators. The power will now be fed from a transformer to a frequency converter that will change the work spaces' electrical output from 50 to 60 hertz, which is commonly used in the U.S.

"The rest of the camp runs off of shore power," said Construction Electrician 3rd Class Barrett Strachan, a Seabee assigned to NMCB 1. "We're on back-up generators, so we're getting Seabee Village caught up with the rest of the camp."

This conversion will prove beneficial to the Seabees and the joint task force as a whole.

"It will be cost-effective in the long run, because we won't have to refuel generators everyday," added Strachan. "Also, the converter doesn't require as much material for maintenance."

In addition to the cost of fuel and parts, the time Seabees spend performing maintenance for the generators will decrease, freeing up time to work on other projects.

"Servicing the generators takes up a lot of man-hours," said Construction Electrician 1st Class (SCW) Michael Loosbrock, the Bravo Company leading petty officer assigned to NMCB 15. "Now that we're running off of the whole camp's power, it's a little more reliable, but if that power goes out, we can still use our generators for a back-up source."

The construction of Seabee Village started in 2004. When NMCB 1 and NMCB 15 began their deployment here in 2007, Seabee Village was being powered by 245- and 325-kilowatt diesel generators.

"When I deployed here in 2004, there was nothing here," said Loosbrock. "It's interesting seeing the difference in what it was like when we left and what's here now. There are quite a bit more buildings, more structures, bigger operations."

Seabees continue to help rebuild Iraq and support the multinational forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom, while also making a home away from home and continually improve the camp for the deployed Seabees to follow.

"Hopefully, we set it up so that they could just pick up where we left off," Loosbrock added. "These young men and women have gotten more exposure to electrical work on this deployment than they probably will in the next two or three deployments. Our Seabees have learned a lot and improved along the way."

For more news from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1, visit www.navy.mil/local/nmcb1/.