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Detail Latvia Completes Construction for BALTOPS 2010

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS100529-02
5/29/2010

By Lt.j.g. Liwei Chen, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 7 Public Affairs

VENTSPILS, Latvia (NNS) -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7 Detail Latvia completed construction tasking May 23 in preparation for Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2010, an annual exercise that aims to promote a mutual understanding of maritime interoperability between U.S. Navy, NATO, and non-NATO participants.

The detail completed two major projects – preparing a five-acre base camp site for a Marine landing group and constructing a reinforced concrete pad for a Maritime pre-positioned ship offload of equipment to be used in the exercise.

The Seabees endured freezing temperatures, snow and rain during their construction projects. Often working day and night, the detachment poured more than 250 cubic yards of concrete, within a three-week timeframe and placed 7,500 cubic yards of backfill in just under a month.

"Cold weather wrecks havoc on concrete pours," said Utilitiesman 1st Class Michael Jester, job supervisor for the project. "It lengthens setting up time and generally slows everyone down."

During their off time, the Seabees performed numerous discretionary projects such as mechanic support on an aging fleet of Latvian Coupe-V Chevrolet maintenance vehicles, concrete road patches and general road and drainage improvements to the immediate surrounding camp areas. Seabees also constructed a medium machine gun, rifle platoon and pistol range for the Latvian National Guard."

"Though our project was initially delayed, we still were able to convert seven weeks of construction into three," said Builder Constructionman Anthony Capiello, project crew leader.

"Everything is in place for the Marines' arrival to participate in the upcoming exercise," said Chief Equipment Operator Jerry Greer, Detail Latvia's assistant officer in charge. "They will be able to roll off their ships onto improved roads all the way to base camp. The accomplishments of these Seabees is typical of our Seabee legacy, which is to pave the way for the Marines!"

Detail Latvia deployed from its battalion's mainbody site in Rota, Spain March 23.

NMCB 7 and its detachments are currently deployed to various locations throughout Europe and Africa as part of the battalion's regularly scheduled 2010 deployment. The battalion's headquarters is Camp Mitchell at Naval Station Rota.

NCMB 7 is homeported at the Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport, Miss., home of the Atlantic Fleet Seabees, and is currently the East Coast's Battle E Seabee battalion.