The narrator explains that the term “Seebees” is really from CB, or Construction Battalion. They were reorganized so that they came under military, rather than civilian, command.
John Wayne plays a construction boss who greets his men who have just come back from some job. Several of the men have been killed, and they complain that the military would not give them any guns they could use to defend themselves.
He confronts the man who refused to give his men arms, and the military guy says he wants to help the men get weapons legally. (Apparently, civilians with guns were considered spies and shot by the enemy. Of course, soldiers were also shot by the enemy, so why not give the guys the guns in the first place?)
The movie quickly moves into a party the John Wayne character throws for his men. (I think by standards of today's movies, the scene goes on way too long and would be cut quite a bit.)
The bureaucrat wants to have the men trained specifically to fight, but Wayne points out the men already know how to fight and how to work; they just need weapons to protect themselves.
His group gets sent to an island for a job. The woman reporter is on the boat with them (to set up an unnecessary romantic triangle.)
Around half an hour into the movie the threat of a Japanese attack comes up. The Japanese attack and straff several of the construction workers. Wayne's character had snuck a bunch of guns in, though, and the men arm themselves. The Japanese invade the island, and the construction workers interfere with an ambush the military had set up. The construction men are mauled by the Japanese troops. Even the woman reporter gets shot.
His group is to evacuate the island, and he and the military guy go back to Washington to once again talk to the bureaucrats. Things are set in motion for the construction battalion to be started. The basic idea is to enroll the civilians in the navy, get them some regular navy training, then keep them together as a construction unit so they can both build and fight, if necessary.
Then their training is done and they get their first assignment as a Seabee unit.
Then there's a section where Wayne once again defies what he's told to do, this time sending out some of his men to find and kill Japanese snipers.
The Japanese bomb the air field they had built, but as soon as the Japanese planes leave the workers get out and start fixing the field up. They also quickly refuel and rearm American carrier planes that land on the field.
The Japanese attack in force and the Seabees have to stop them.
This isn't exactly a bad movie, but the romantic part is overdone, and some of the camera work is not well done, especially scenes that are obviously speeded up way to much. Overall, pretty much a movie of the times and conditions.
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