g741.org

I would very much like to find an original picture of a NAVY SEABEES M37 or M37B1. I have a Very Good Friend who is a Seabee and may not be with us for long. I'd like to know how an M37 should be marked to Honor him.

I did a web search for Sea Bees trucks and from what I can see it looks like the truck would have been in it's original OD green with black Navy markings and the Sea Bees patch on the door. Much like what is found on this page.

http://www.i2k.com/~schwarzd/seabee.htm

Though this is not an M37 but a M151 it is still in the same time period and gives credence to the other link.
http://imageevent.com/bobspics/seabeest ... =1&s=0&z=2

Good luck I wish I could have found more information.

I will pass this on to a friend who is a Seabee and also a member of just about every Seabee association out there. He might be able to come up with something.

Thank You Gentlemen!
The pictures sent by K8ICU are awesome. My friend was Seabee of the year following his first year in Vietnam, so all this is right on the money for him!
The Seabees do not seem to get much representation in a lot of the forums, so if anyone has something to share ---PLEASE DO!
Rick I'd love to correspond with your Seabee friend. I'll send you a PM.

Here is my work in progress.

Nice looking rig! Thanks for sharing!
Gary

It is a BEAUTIFUL TRUCK SIR!
I would encourage you to share with the group;;;
-Why you are building a SeaBee Identified truck?
-What you know regarding M37's used by the SeaBees?
-If the numbers on your truck represent a SeaBee unit close to your heart?
-Active duty vehicle usage as it relates to Gray Vs OD Vs Marine Forest Green?
-On B1 trucks, is there any alterations in stenciling on the driver's door, where the spare tire would cover it up?
-Has anyone seen the M201 or B1 variant used by the SeaBees?
Etc. Etc. Etc.
Thank You for jumping in with your Pictures!
DCook

Well, I am a retired Navy Senior Chief and just couldn't bring myself to paint one as Army/Marines ETC. The 94 is the truck size (3/4 -1 ton IIRC) and they all would of had that. The rest is the registration number and happens to be my granddaughters birthday. On both bumpers is the beep which correlates to the reserve unit that was here in Cheyenne when I was the Reserve Center Command Senior Chief right before I retired (no I was not a Seabee). I would guess most Seabee trucks would have been green but I have seen a lot of weird paint jobs especially when it was known vehicles were going to be turned in or upgraded. The logo's would have been painted not decals like I have used. I have a full write-up from start to (almost) finished post with pictures on Steelsoldiers under the M37 forum. This is actually a B1 but I changed it to look like the earlier ones. I would not think they would have changed the paint on the drivers door. Hope that helps.

https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthrea ... ng-the-M37

In the year and a half I have had my own truck, I have followed your build thread with great interest. Masterful, and really handsome truck. I just put my own stencil paint on my truck, and using Rick Larsen's stencil kit, decided to mark my M37 with my Special Forces markings. My team was A/1/5, also referred to as ODA1, so that is what I used. Actually, teams did not have trucks, unless they were "acquired" in a war zone. I am well aware of the accomplishments of the SeeBee's especially in the Pacific Theatre.

all the best....

NV

I think the word "Acquire" for the Seabees was "CumShaw" but I don't know if I have it spelled correctly. It seems the Seabees / CB's / Confused Ba--ards --- were not issued lots of vehicles, requiring them to cumshaw what they needed. Apparently they became quite efficient at it.

Gentlemen,allow me to explain CB vehicle and equipment procurement ITO 1968-69 specifically regarding VetFnam.

Anything we got a bar big enough to pry up is CB property. Torches count as bars.
The unwashed, unloved mud sailors were officially supplied ITO with everything some drunk in a building in Bethesda thought was needed when he got around to signing off.
Since the drunk was less than dependable, field expedient solutions were found.

Important considerations in field expedient equipment transfer/interunit/interservice included but were not limited to resstenciling and repainting. Trust me, all jeeps look alike, except command jeeps. Command jeeps require additional effort, remove the flag holders and cut the radio off come immediately to mind.
Since all vehicles/military belong to the Taxpayers, and many in that era had a lovely slip decal informing anyone willing to read it stating the cost of the vehicle and requesting respectful use of said vehicle, it is impossible to steal a vehicle belonging to the taxpayers.

Body color of any military vehicle in CB possession (possible exception of Stateside units) is covered under who the hell cares. It runs, I can ride it, riding beats walking, brakes are handy but completely optional.

The absolute height of status was driving a M-37 with a telephone body as those were rare, usually guarded, and near impossible to purloin, although I did spend considerable time trying. Marine comm outfits are very possessive.

To my understanding, Osaka and Subic both contained excessive quantities of vehicles it the referenced time frame, guarded and inventoried on a weekly basis. There was also the problem of getting them in country.
It was far easier to obtain vehicles from a supply group known as Army. They traded very cheaply, often for beer/ cold. Cold beer is a far superior currency to Script.

Depending on specific geography of assignment and job, it was usually best for CBs ITO to deny both rank and being CBs. Somebody always seemed to have a project they needed a hand with and rumor was CBs could accomplish damn near anything with nothing, if you could just find one. Invisible has a lot to be said for it. It was also ill advised to park a jeep for a few hours and return to it to drive away. Oddly a group of evil men known as CID or NCIS tended to attack and capture men doing that. To that end, finding a vehicle with CB markings was near impossible.

The best way to look at vehicles in CB use, if CBs had it, it was stolen.

So you're saying that if I want my M37 to be a CB vehicle, I should first paint it with US Army markings, then crudely paint over them?

One of my MSG's, back in '71, told me how if they needed a vehicle in Vietnam, they would take it and run both ends into a tree or post, break the windshields, and do other damage to it, and keep it until it broke. When I was a young Lt in Germany, and needed some gloss white paint, impossible to acquire, I and two SGT's went to the big supply warehouse, where the very wary NCO there kept an eye on anyone in his building. So my two men had him the back looking for this or that, while I grabbed several five gallon cans of the precious white paint, and snuck them out to our vehicle. Every small unit has someone known as "the scrounger" who could usually get what was needed, no questions asked.

NV

Windshields were always an interesting item.
Had some no good rat bustard not redestinationed my foot locker to his house while I partook of the fine facilities in Subic and Bethesda, I could be holding a traffic ticket given to me by a fine young MP in a delightful jeep with a cute little siren.

I can close my eyes and see his little costume as he told me I was fortunate he was only going to write me for having the windshield in an upright position in a combat area, and completely ignore my failure to have a Military Driver License in my possession while operating the vehicle. I of course was most appreciative. I was also considering either of my hands leaving the wheel or shifter would probably cause one of the ROK Marines riding in the jeep to vanish him from the planet and confiscate his jeep. The playground of French IndoChina definitely did not match the description in the brochure Lyndon found to make another fortune in. Twas a tropical paradise the French imported deer and other game animals to remind them of France as they vacationed.

For those who understand, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't, none is possible.

Elwood it ain't going to bother me if you paint it lavender with pink spots. Probably won't bother the truck much either.

DCook,

I finally had some time to go through my picture library and of the 1000+ M37 pictures there were only 2 showing any definite markings indicating Navy ownership. The first is the SeaBees M37 (unknown location) picture that you asked for and the second is just Navy marked (Vietnam).

I hope the pictures help, have fun with the project whichever way you decide to go.

Kevin