Mighty Fun

They build. They fight. They party? Well, when necessary.

To that end, the U.S. Naval Construction Battalion Center based in Port Hueneme is inviting the public to its 14th annual wingding, Seabee Summerfest 2000, this Saturday and Sunday.

Talk about your all-American weekend: Summerfest 2000 will feature military stuff, sports stuff, food and music. The event is free, as is the parking, creating the possibility of an affordable family outing.

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“It’s going to be a terrific time with something for everyone, from petting zoos to ship tours to military displays to music and a parachute demonstration,” said base spokeswoman Teri Reid.

The premiere attraction once again is the ship tour. This year the U.S. landing ship Comstock will be available for public scrutiny. The mission of the landing ship dock is to transport Marines and their combat equipment ashore whenever and wherever the need arises.

Commissioned a decade ago, the Comstock is more than 609 feet long, large enough to provide continuous support for the assaulting force of leathernecks.

It is equipped with air and surface search radar, a pair of Close-In-Weapons Systems, two 25-millimeter machine guns, six .50-caliber machine guns and a torpedo countermeasures system. The Rolling Airframe Missile/Ship Self-Defense System, installed in 1998, represents the state of the art in combat systems.

Ship tours will begin at noon Saturday, 11 a.m. Sunday.

The Summerfest will also feature hands-on demonstrations of Seabee equipment and weapons.

In addition, the Civil Engineer Corps and Seabee Museum, founded in 1947, will be open daily. The museum features displays of weapons, insignia, models and uniforms, as well as other artifacts related to the U.S. Navy’s Civil Engineer Corps, which dates from the 19th century, including the origin of the Seabees during World War II.

Other activities include a carnival and petting zoo, numerous arts and crafts booths, a motorcycle and classic car show, laser tag, a rock climbing wall, karaoke contests--and that’s only the beginning.

The Earth Bound parachute team will have the public looking skyward at noon Sunday. And for sporting enthusiasts, there will be a four-mile run, a softball tournament, a volleyball tournament, a four-on-four basketball tournament and a taekwondo demonstration. For the runners, awards will be given the first- and second-place finishers in six age categories, and all participants will receive a T-shirt.

Let’s not forget the Silent Drill Team accompanied by the Navy Band, both out of San Diego. The parade will be Saturday at 11 a.m.

As for the rest of the event soundtrack, Teresa Russell, the hardest-working woman in show biz in this area, will play some original and classic rock songs with her band, Cocobilli, doubtless bringing along copies of their latest CD, “Bustin’ Loose.”

Russell, who lives nearby, will commence her gig Saturday at noon. Rock guitarist Peter Stuart will follow at 3 p.m., and the Bar Flys will play Sunday at 3 p.m.

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The Seabees date to March 1942 when the military’s need for base construction--primarily in the Pacific--became apparent.

At first, civilian workers were doing most of the Navy’s overseas construction, but they had no place in a combat zone, since by international law, these workers could not be armed. Several civilian workers were captured and later executed by the Japanese when they captured Wake Island in early 1942.

In light of this and other events, Rear Adm. Ben Moreell was given the go-ahead to organize a military unit composed of construction workers who would be able to defend themselves.

The first two letters of the words Construction Battalion soon became CBs, then Seabees.

The first Seabee unit to deploy in a combat zone belonged to the 6th Naval Construction Battalion at Guadalcanal on Sept. 1, 1942.

The Seabees built airstrips, roads and camps and participated in every island invasion of the Pacific theater.

Immortalized in the 1944 John Wayne movie “The Fighting Seabees,” the group’s logo says it all, a bee carrying a machine gun, a monkey wrench and a hammer.

Reid and the rest of the Seabees remember that film.

“We love John Wayne,” she said. “He’s the man.”

The U.S. Naval Construction Battalion Center at Port Hueneme features 1,615 acres of land, sliced up by 29 miles of roads and 10 miles of railroad tracks.

Home to four Construction Battalions and dozens of commands, the site provides training, administration and logistical support for Seabees all over the world. Visitors can find Summerfest 2000 through either the Pleasant Valley or Victoria Avenue gates.

DETAILS

Seabee Summerfest 2000 at the Naval Construction Battalion Center at Port Hueneme; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; free; 982-1985.

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Bill Locey can be reached by e-mail at blocey@pacbell.net.