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NMCB 11 Welcomes CESE with Open Arms

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080417-02
Release Date: 4/17/2008 11:49:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Erick S. Holmes, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11 Public Affairs

GULFPORT, Miss. (NNS) -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11 Alpha Company spent the week of March 24 conducting their first Battalion Equipment Evaluation Program (BEEP).

Taking ownership of 79 pieces of Civil Engineer Support Equipment (CESE) from NMCB 133 was a long anticipated homeport milestone for NMCB 11.

The suite of CESE that NMCB 11 took ownership of included vehicles such as the M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), bulldozers, graders and Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacements (MTVR).

During this process, generators, light plants and water buffaloes were also turned over to NMCB 11. Having ownership of the equipment will allow the battalion to conduct large and small unit training, prepare for the upcoming Field Training Exercise (FTX) and complete additional homeport projects.

The BEEP process is extremely thorough and requires attention to detail on multiple levels. The CESE is cleaned, beginning with the interior and then taken to a wash rack where it is hosed off including the engine and even the undercarriage.

"You get a snapshot of the CESE to make sure all of the safety standards are up to speed," said Chief Construction Mechanic (SCW) Robert Claxton, BEEP Maintenance Supervisor.

"It's a long process," said Equipment Operator 3rd Class Robert Shaughnessy, BEEP Wash Rack Work Center Supervisor. "You have to clean out, wash and inspect every little thing in each vehicle [and look] for any discrepancies."

Though the evolution is lengthy, it has a pay-off at the end.

"It may take a long time, but it will help us out in the long run so we don't spend days or weeks repairing a vehicle when it's needed and loosing man hours [on a project]," Shaughnessy said.

When a piece of CESE is cleared from inspection, it receives a pair of BEEP stickers; a red diamond with white numbers indicating which battalion manages and maintains the vehicle.

"The BEEP's been going good, though a little slower than it usually would, but that's intentional," Claxton explained. "Eleven had a large influx of new troops and most of Alfa Company has never been through a BEEP before. Us older guys with the experience had to slow them down and explain what to look for to our new guys."

The battalion originally planned for the BEEP to be completed by Friday, March 28, and although the BEEP started off a little slower than originally planned, NMCB 11 completed the evolution as scheduled.

For more news from Naval Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport, visit www.navy.mil/local/ncbcgulfport/.