Seabees Have Been Building History: One could argue that Navy Seabees are more like soldiers than sailors. The nickname Seabee is derived from the letters "CB," the acronym for Construction Battalion. Naval Construction Battalions were first formed in 1941 after the attack on Pearl Harbor. At the time, the force was comprised of older tradesmen — their average age was 37 — because the Navy needed to start building on six continents and more than 300 islands during World War II.