Gulfport Seabees Det having a blast

ANDERSEN AFB, Guam – Deployed sailors assigned to the Gulfport, Miss., Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 Det. Guam, and airmen assigned to the 554th Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers (RED HORSE), conducted a controlled quarry demolition here April 9. It was a first time NMCB had conducted a blasting operation since the Mineral Products Rock Quarry on Naval Base Guam closed in 2012. “These types of operations are important because it allows Seabees deployed to Guam to keep up their proficiency,” said Chief Equipment Operator Roy Summerville, NMCB 133’s blast operation quality control manager. "Developing quarry blasting skill-sets will increase the Seabees expeditionary construction ability (and) enabling us to create material to conduct construction projects from schools and medical clinics, to runway repair," said Master Chief Equipmentman Tim Taylor, 30th Naval Construction Regiment logistics department leading chief petty officer. Seabees from NMCB 133 and airmen from the 554th RED HORSE will continue processing blasted rock into more manageable pieces for future projects. “This evolution benefits both entities,” said Summerville. “For NMCB 133 it keeps our proficiency, we are stationed in Gulfport, Mississippi, and don’t have the opportunity to do blasting operations.” NMCB 133, on a rotational deployment to Guam, provides expeditionary construction and engineering capabilities that includes maintenance and operation of expeditionary bases and facilities, tactical sustainment bridging, humanitarian assistance through construction civic action details and civic action teams and theater disaster response capabilities in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. (Source: CTF 75 04/18/19)