Navy Cargo Handling Battalions (NCHBs) are expeditionary logistics units of the United States Navy.
History
The Cargo Handling Battalions trace their lineage to U.S. Navy's first "Combat Stevedores" - the 41 "Special" Naval Construction Battalions, created during WWII.Special Naval Construction Battalion Cruisebooks, NHHC, U.S. Navy Seabee Museum webpage
Warfare qualification
Sailors assigned to NCHBs are eligible to earn designation as Enlisted Expeditionary Warfare Specialist. To do this, candidates must attend various training events over the course of several months and then demonstrate their knowledge at an oral board.
List of Navy Cargo Handling Battalions Designation Abbreviation Headquarters ComponentStatus ONE NCHB-1 Cheatham Annex, Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Virginia ActiveActive FIVE NCHB-5 Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Tacoma, Washington ReserveActive EIGHT NCHB-8 Lakehurst Maxfield Field, Lakehurst, New Jersey ReserveDecommissioned 2026 TEN NCHB-10 Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Virginia ReserveActive ELEVEN NCHB-11 Blount Island Command, Florida ReserveActive THIRTEEN NCHB-13 CBC Gulfport, Mississippi ReserveDecommissioned 2025 FOURTEEN NCHB-14 Port Hueneme, California ReserveDecommissioned 2026
References
Sources Verneris, J. (2015). SEABEE COMBAT HANDBOOK, VOLUME 1. Naval Education and Training Center: Center for Seabees and Facilities Engineering (CSFE). https://nrtc.netc.navy.mil/courses/14234B/14234B_ind.pdf Bellott, T. G. (2009). NAVY EXPEDITIONARY SUPPORT. Retrieved from https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/dashboard/searchResults/titleDetail/ADA603365.xhtml Pike, P. (2013). Navy Cargo Handling And Port Group (NAVCHAPGRU). Retrieved from https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/navy/navchapgru.htm Pine, J and Fabrey, T. (2015). SEABEE COMBAT HANDBOOK, VOLUME 2. Naval Education and Training Center: Center for Seabees and Facilities Engineering (CSFE). Brown, G. G. and Carlyle, W. M. (2008). Optimizing the US navy's combat logistics force. John Wiley and Sons Incorporated. Retrieved from https://www.engineeringvillage.com/search/doc/abstract.url&pageType=quickSearch&usageZone=resultslist&usageOrigin=searchresults&searchtype=Quick&SEARCHID=9b84c10aM0f1aM41f4Mabd0M39984f095aba&DOCINDEX=2&ignore_docid=cpx_30c22111e1c78063dM44d42061377553&database=1&format=quickSearchAbstractFormat&tagscope=&displayPagination= Houts Jr., R. E. (1990). Advanced technology in Navy Logistics Support. Naval Engineers Journal. Retrieved from https://www.engineeringvillage.com/search/doc/detailed.url SEARCHID=9b84c10aM0f1aM41f4Mabd0M39984f095aba&DOCINDEX=1&database=1&pageType=quickSearch&searchtype=Quick&dedupResultCount=null&format=quickSearchDetailedFormat&usageOrigin=recordpage&usageZone=abstracttab