U.S. Navy Seabee Museum

Naval Ocean Facilities Program Project

The Group

Special acknowledgement to Pete Marshall, Don Wells, Mike Weyler, Tony Parisi, Kevin Gross, Rob Westberg, Herb Herrmann, and Phil Vitale for gathering the history, documentation, and writing summaries for various OFP projects. Their initial efforts focused on gathering facts to tell the Naval Ocean Facilities Program history, but expanded to locate and provide documentation to the public. This section is the fruit of their vision and efforts.

Document Background

In researching the establishment and history of the NOFP, the group discovered six documents that provided the essential and factual background sources for OFP and UCT establishment. In chronological order the six documents are:

1. NAVMAT Notice 5460 dtd May 1966 (NAVMAT Organization Manual)
2. OPNAV Notice 5450, Serial 986P401 dtd 21 November 1967
3. Report on Study Topic 68-1: Plan for Definition of NAVFAC/NCF Role in Ocean Engineering
4. Proceedings of Naval Facilities Engineering Command Ocean Engineering Conference September 1969
5. OPNAV Instruction 5450.182 dtd 12 October 1970
6. Unknown OPNAV Instruction or Notice dtd around 1 November 1973

Items #1 and #2 provided direction from NAVMAT and OPNAV identifying the Naval Facilities Engineering Command and the Naval Construction Forces as the entities responsible for performing ocean engineering and construction efforts for Naval fixed and subsurface ocean structures.

Item #3 was NAVFAC's response (plan, action, milestones and resource requirements) to the tasking directed by the two earlier documents. Located at NAVFAC Headquarters which was declassified and released under FOIA.

Item #4 contained the progress report on developing an Ocean Facilities Program and resulted from a workshop conducted in 1969. Located at Naval History and Heritage Command.

Item #5 was OPNAV direction to the Fleet to establish detachments of specialized technicians within the Naval Construction Force with underwater facility construction capabilities. Located at US Navy Seabee Museum.

Item #6 was OPNAV direction to make the detachments previously established in item #5 independent commands in the USN.

The NAVMAT Organization Manual has eluded discovery. Since NAVMAT was a relatively short-lived command and the organization manuals were routinely being adjusted, there are few sources or locations remaining to review for item #1.

 Items 1, 2, and 6 have eluded location.

If you have a copy of the above listed documents or any other materials you believe would add to the history, please email them to: NHHC-USNSMreference@us.navy.mil