Seabees - Choose Your Rate 

Awesome. Good luck in the bees.

Today at meps I was very lucky getting EO, I ship June 2nd 2022 for basic. How do you like it so far and if you have any tips on what to expect?

Right on. Congrats on getting EO.

When was this? Do seabees get station to philippines?

Congrats on the journey to being a Seabee!

Sure. I can answer that. It was an overall good experience. The best part was going to different countries and doing projects; you may have time to take leave in country and explore around, as you might be there for months instead of days as the ships are. Worst part was field exercises and all the military training we do in homeport; some people like it, but I preferred the project work by far. You kind of learn the lower-level tasks of other rates as needed. For example, if they need people to drive trucks, they might have people get licences; if they need people to dig trenches and place pipe, do basic framing, or help with rebar, the project supervisor may just train you on the job. It's easy to pick-up that kind of stuff by just doing it. I did work outside my rate as a BU. I got licensed on the backhoe and dump truck; I helped solder copper pipes with the UT's; I also had some construction experience before coming in (grew up working construction sites and farming), so I knew about driving heavy equipment, doing basic indoor plumbing and installing large irrigation systems. Some of that was useful on the projects. Different people come with different construction skills even at the same rank/rate. We had an older CE3 that had supervised concrete floor placing and finishing crews before coming into the Seabees. So, that's what he helped with and directed a bit as needed. Seabees are a diverse group in terms of construction experience/skill. A lot of construction learning can happen after A-School. You kind of have to proactively try and get it though. Look for the right mentors/projects. Networking is still important in the Bees, as people will take the time to teach people who they get along with and are squared away.

No

Yes, good question. Thanks. I will upload a video about my enlisted college experience shortly.

Congrats on enlisting as a UT. The Seabees are a great outfit and I think you'll have many good memories of your time like I did. Sure. 1) First deployments are a bit confusing. You don't really know what to expect on the projects, and living on a US base overseas (unless deployed stateside) is a new experience unless you've lived in other countries before. Also, deployment is really busy. Often 10-hour days and lots of turnover work with the other unit at the beginning and end. 2) Not really, unless you go amphib. Mostly just knowing the Navy administration, the terms, how the big Navy is organized, and the personnel structure; you'll be on a Navy base probably, so good to know about the fleet as Seabee projects are supporting the fleet functions. 3) Best benefit is learning how to manage construction work from inside a public bureaucracy. I worked on the private side before joining the bees, so all the administrative work I learned in the Bees was really applicable in my work current as a municipal engineer.

Im a UT2 just curious how much concrete you placed and how many nails you've struck lol. UTs basically Charlie Co helpers

I just swore in for UT today I leave Feb 13

@@keke5868 hope you get California. Gulfport sucks

@@DB-dm2xm whats wrong with Cali ? I was actually hoping for Cali , Florida or Gulfport

Sure, the best parts were working (mostly) daylight hours on shore and seeing what your crew is building take shape on the ground over a deployment. Working alongside local civilians doing small renovation projects was also fun, and I liked being able to do different construction jobs. The Bees are also less formal and on the job sites, it seem rank doesn't matter as much as in other parts of the Navy people come with different levels of construction knowledge and skill. Worst part was small projects like painting and constantly changing objectives, changing projects, crews, etc. Good luck and hope you get a Seabee rate.

Yes, I think so. You’ll learn transferable skills in A School and get college credits for the training. I’ve seen UT’s doing copper piping, bathrooms, and also installing HVACs. I would try to get a public works posting after A-School if you can, as I think there is more work on base for public works Seabees involving plumbing skills.

@@seabeescholar3495 good to know

@@christheisgen2979 : I know you are absolutely correct ! Too many people are naive . They get suckered .

What do you mean??

I would recommend this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lH6N2717OF0.html, as it probably describes the rate better than I could.

i hope you pushed for E3

As a reservist, it is up your the specific unit you get assigned as to what you will really be doing. Hopefully, it is in rate trainings or specific work pertaining to whichever rate. Yes, as a reservist you are by contract supposed to complete 48 drill periods in a fiscal year (one weekend a month) and if you aren't aware, you are also supposed to complete the 12 days of AT (annual training) as well as meeting satisfactory PFA scores amongst other things. Most of the time, yes you will stay home and basically be a civilian

In my area, being a Sea Bee reservist was horrible because we were not allowed to do anything, because the local contractors said we were taking their work, so we sat around reading training manuals all day. So I re enlisted back to active duty. It all depends on your reserve unit and the city you are in, I was in a small city, so work was limited anyway.

I've never heard of that, or actually anyone failing their Seabee A-school for academic reasons. I believe if they failed A-school on their first contract after boot camp, they might be offered another A-school based on needs of the Navy. Probably not another Seabee rate though, because I think the Seabees are popular, so there wouldn't be a spot in a class forming up that wasn't already taken by people coming out of boot camp on an A-school contract or people transitioning from another rate in the fleet who had a applied to cross-rate (had a few of those in CB A-school).

Perhaps SW, CE, and BU, because you could be more likely to be up in lifts or working on higher structures.

I'm not too sure about the reserve deployments. But I don't think they get deployed as often as active because active units go on scheduled deployments. Having said that, it depends on the needs of the Navy as whatever is going on in the various theatres during your reserve time might mean more reserve deployments.

@banana banana, I have several Seabee friends in the Reserves … some deploy on a regular basis by choice (volunteer) while others wait for their battalion turn to be activated. If you want to deploy / go on extended orders in the Reserves = definitely network 👍

If you are in the reserves and never been active duty, you want to try and get deployed some where for at least 90 days, because that makes you a Veteran and eligible for benefits.

Yes, you can work in different trades, depending on what the command needs. Your main jobs will be in your rate though. Electrical engineer would be a CEC officer, and their system is different. You might help the CE's (Construction Electricians) as a BU though, for example pulling wires.

@@seabeescholar3495 swing hammers standing up walls placing concrete

When I was in the Corps, one of my good friends was a Seabee in Japan. So I assume yes.

On a first enlistment, likely based in Port Hueneme or Gulfport unless you get public works. Most large navy bases have Seabees working in public works on base. You'll probably go on 3 or 4 deployments abroad from your base on a first enlistment. Hard to predict where for obvious reasons, but I think in peacetime you would go to do work at Navy or NATO bases over in Europe and Asia. The advancement isn't great at all. I think it has gotten worse, but when i was in it was hard to make E5/E6 even if you had good test scores and evals. I think alot of people stay in the Bees and want to join, which makes advancement difficult and I do believe they downsized the Bees as well.

@@seabeescholar3495 Thanks so much for the info, according to my test results I qualify for all the seabee jobs, but not sure if seabees need anyone at the moment.

​@seabeescholar3495 Before Gulf Port, Seabees were at Charleston and Norfolk. But they moved them to Gulf Port

I believe that is in the UT rating; I'm not sure if they have a C-School for that though. I remember the UT's hooking up AC units when I was in camp.

My experience was they all can, more dependent on rank than rate. All rates can stand guard duty, but as far as being permanently assigned to gate guard and working outside of your rate entirely, I've heard of a junior SW doing that when I was in. Generally, I think that there isn't much welding work and electrician-specific work (wiring panels, for example) in battalion where/when I was in. Maybe more in public works.

No. It is possible to cross-rate from one Seabee rate to another, but that is very rare and I only met one Seabee who did that - SW to UT.

@@seabeescholar3495 thanks

@@seabeescholar3495 do you mean before your contract is up? You can change jobs to another rate when your contract is up, right?

I was with NMCB 40 and NMCB 133.

@@seabeescholar3495 what were the chiefs like experiences with them ? Also did you know anything about machinist mates ?

@@stevenmajicmike The chiefs in the Seabees I met were mostly older family people who were committed to the Seabee life and were good at leading the wide variety of people who were assigned to them. There was a few who I would call "old school" no-nonsense chiefs who would cuss people out on the job or at PT, and get roaring drunk after-hours, amongst other things. I remember a couple of us wrestling with one chief trying to keep him from getting into his truck drunk, but I found that was the exception. Most were knowledgeable, professional leaders with good people skills. Some were quite mild-mannered. Some had college degrees or were working on them. I think that is more common now. I was going to community college in the same class as one of my chiefs. Great guy. As for machinist mates, I unfortunately don't know anything about that rate other than my Seabee battalion did have one who worked in the CM shop.

@@seabeescholar3495 Was in MCB 40 in 68-69 in Phu Bai. Made CMA2 at 2 years. Should have stayed in.

What its it like to be a heavy equipment mechanic in the seabees? I wouldnt imagine that they are working on tele equipment constantly. What do they do when the equipment doesnt need to be worked on?