Seeking records of Navy Seabees Stevedore Division

Keith,

Do you have any additional information on your father? Such as a name, DOB, and place of birth. There are many individuals here that are able to assist in many ways.

Thanks,

Elliot Schneider

Dear Mr. Secrest,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We suggest that you request a copy of his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). OMPFs and medical records of enlisted men of the U.S. Navy who were separated from the service after 1885 and prior to 1958 are located at NARA's National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), (Military Personnel Records), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO  63138-1002.  To request these records, please mail a completed GSA Standard Form 180 to NPRC. For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Records Requests.

We searched the National Archives catalog and located World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories, ca. 1/1/1942 - ca. 6/1/1946 in the Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations ( Record Group 38) that include 3 file units pertaining to Special  Construction Battalions and Stevedores. These records are digitized and may be accessed using the Catalog. We also located 11 file units in Navy records groups that include records about Special Construction Battalions during WWII. Some of these file units have been digitized and are available using the Catalog. For access to the non-digitized records, please email the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) at archives2reference@nara.gov

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT2. Also, the NPRC closed again as of November 7, 2020 until further notice. NPRC will respond only to requests involving burials, medical emergencies, and homeless veterans.  If your request is urgent, please see Emergency Requests and Deadlines or emergency requests may be faxed to (314) 801-0764.  Please check archives.gov/veterans for updates to the NPRC operating hours and status. We apologize for any inconvenience.

For additional information on Naval Construction Battalions, we suggest you contact the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum, 3201 N. Ventura Road, Naval Base Ventura County PH, Building 100, Port Hueneme, CA 93043. The Naval History and Heritage Command retains cruise books of the Special Naval Construction Battalions on their website.

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!