‘Fearless 74’ Assumes Command of Camp Mitchell, Spain

Photo By Senior Chief Petty Officer Ryan Wilber | Petty Officer 1st Class Joshua Lynch, a master-at-arms and Petty Officer 3rd Class Cheri Roscoe, a utilitiesman, both assigned to, NMCB 74, Headquarters Company, raise the battalion flag during a camp turnover ceremony at Camp Mitchell in Rota, Spain. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Richard Hayes III, relieved NMCB 7 Commanding Officer, Jay Mitchell, during the ceremony.  

ROTA, SPAIN

12.14.2010

Story by Chief Petty Officer Ryan Wilber 

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74

ROTA, Spain - Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 assumed command of Camp Mitchell during a turnover ceremony held on board Naval Station Rota, Spain Dec. 14. Upon completion of a 10-month deployment, Cmdr. Jay Mitchell, NMCB 7 Commanding Officer relinquished command of the camp to NMCB 74 CO, Cmdr. Richard Hayes III.

Combined Task Force SIXTY-EIGHT Commander, Commodore Martin Beck, presided over the ceremony. Beck expressed his appreciation to NMCB 7 for their deployment accomplishments and welcomed NMCB 74 to the camp.

“You guys [NMCB 7] really set the bar. I can’t tell you how pleased and impressed I’ve been with the professionalism, mission accomplishment and the pride of the naval construction force in general. NMCB 74 welcome aboard. I look forward to working with you,” said Beck.

Hayes, a native of Charleston, W.Va., assumed command of NMCB 74 in July during the battalion’s homeport training cycle. This is the first “green” deployment for NMCB 74 since 2006. Their previous three sent “Fearless 74” to the deserts of Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan.

Confidence in his Seabees and high expectations for their success are what Hayes’ cited as his feelings about assuming command of the camp.

“I am proud of all the hard work we put in during homeport and very confident in our abilities to have a successful deployment. I am extremely impressed with the motivation that I’ve seen during turnover and look forward to working with everyone,” said Hayes.

Mitchell expressed pleasure with his battalion’s accomplishments during one of the longest Seabee deployments in recent history, and wished NMCB 74 the same success as they begin theirs.

“I think 74 is in a great position to raise the bar even higher. I think 7 did a solid job across the board. The Seabee legacy is strong, and all the folks we’ve worked for … have a lot of respect for the Seabees and what we bring to the fight and I think 74 is going to take it to the next level,” said Mitchell.

According to Hayes, a “green” deployment does not necessarily mean an “easy” deployment. Like NMCB 7, NMCB 74 will have several detachments deployed to areas throughout Europe and Africa, many of which will challenge the Seabees with extreme conditions. A “green” deployment, unlike a desert deployment, will likely allow the crews to have more direct contact with the local population and personally observe the impact their work has on its people.

“This is an opportunity to see our projects directly affect the lives of people in different countries in a positive way, and really get that message across to people outside in the world that the Seabees and United States military can come in and provide very positive work in an area and leave a lasting impression,” said Hayes.

Camp Mitchell is now NMCB 74’s Main Body site and command headquarters for, along with the place that more than 450 Seabees will call home for the upcoming months.

• Date Taken: 12.14.2010
• Date Posted: 12.29.2010 03:16
• Story ID: 62732
• Location: ROTA, ES