Published Nationally
Southeast Edition
® November 7 2018 Vol. XXXI • No. 23
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
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Building for Peace — Saluting Navy Seabees
HOLT CAT Hosts Vintage Iron Parade…8
Demos Highlight Yancey Bros. Tech Day…16
Flint Open House Offers Quality Demo Time…22
Table of Contents ................4 Truck & Trailer Section ........ ......................................35-38 Attachment & Parts Section ......................................39-45 Recycling Section ........49-60 Business Calendar ............84 Auction Section ............86-92 Advertisers Index ..............90
U.S. Navy Seabee Museum photo
U.S. Navy Seabee Museum photo
Seabees with the 53rd Naval Construction Battalion, build camera towers prior to atomic bomb testing on Bikini Atoll, July 1946.
Seabees with the 62nd Naval Construction Battalion work around the clock to build an airstrip and camp areas on Iwo Jima in March 1945.
By Jennifer McKevitt CEG CORRESPONDENT
This Veteran’s Day, Construction Equipment Guide is focusing on the Navy Seabees, the members of which are a unique combination of skilled construction worker and able fighter, formed in response to the Wake Island disaster of Dec. 23, 1941. That date marks the occasion when both military and civilian construction workers were captured and eventually slain by the Japanese during World War II. As a result, it was recognized by Rear Admiral Ben Moreell, Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks (BUDOCKS), that all future building and construction staff must be empowered and fully-trained for battle. Thus, the birth of Seabees, the nickname for the newly-formed construction battalions. The Seabees were trained by the Marines right from the beginning. The reasoning behind this decision was to ensure that the group was indeed battle ready, in addition to being highly-skilled in all facets of construction, in any climate or con-
dition. The result was a highly adaptable force able and willing to serve no matter where or when needed. Due to their remarkable flexibility, the Seabees developed the now-famous motto: “Can Do” to express their determined spirit. Seabees were and are deployed
either as individual units or with fellow troop members, depending on situational needs. And while combat engineers are thought to be similar in nature to the Seabees, in fact, engineering is only a single facet of required Seabee capabilities. Consistently
recognized for their unswerving determination, Seabee culture is best represented by yet another of its mottos: “The difficult we do now, the impossible takes a little longer.” Historically, some of the see SEABEES page 28
Curtis Contracting Contends With Rain in Building Virginia Reservoir By Brenda Ruggiero CEG CORRESPONDENT
Curtis Contracting Inc., West Point, Va., is currently working on a reservoir project for Greensville County, Va. When complete, the reservoir will serve as the county’s raw-water facility, with an approximate storage capacity of 1 billion gal. Martin Harrell, project manager of Curtis Contracting, who has been with the company for five years, reported the project began December of 2017 and currently has a 730-day duration, which allows for a substantial completion date of December 2019. The full project dollar amount is $16.2 million, with funding coming through U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development.
Bill Solomon is the project superintendent, and Tom Cahoon and Ray Harris are project foremen. “The project is currently on schedule even with the extensive rain we have incurred this season,” Harrell said. The contract calls for a 1 billion-gal. reservoir consisting of 180 acres of disturbed area and includes approximately 1.7 million cu. yds. of earthmoving, a 5.6 million-sq.-ft. liner system, an intermediate pump station, reservoir aeration, an access road, and 2,400 linear ft. of 18-in. raw waterline. “The main challenge has been the weather,” Harrell said. “Obviously, we are constructing a large pond. We are reversing the natural flow of water over a large area. Managing the drainage of surface water is key to see RESERVOIR page 24