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Naval History and Heritage Command

U.S. Navy Seabee Museum

Naval Pontoon Assembly Detachment

Pontoon Assembly Detachments (PAD) consisted of 17 officers and 418 enlisted men that manufactured about 1800 steel pontoons per month in remote shops.

For the assembly of the pontoons, both rectangular and curved types, the detachment was equipped with two assembly lines, consisting of jigs and fixtures to hole the pre-cut plates and structural forms in place for welding. The five PADs worked generally two twelve-hour shifts each day to keep production moving.