Fighting Seabee statue.

Fighting Seabee Statue

The Fighting Seabee, mascot of the Navy's WWII Construction Battalion, stands at the Seabee Museum and Memorial Park, site of the former U.S. Naval Construction Battalion Center Davisville. The "Bee" sports a sailor's cap, brandishing a pipe wrench in one hand, a hammer in another, and a machine gun in two other hands. It was created by Frank J. Iafrate. The statue was refurbished in 1999.

Nearby Quonset Point is where the Quonset hut was invented, and several dating from the 1950s have been renovated and displayed as a typical barracks and mess hall. A new museum is planned, but for now the Chapel in the Pines is serving that purpose.

Paul Pence, who provided the photo, notes the statue, which stood at the base gate for many years, has "been moved a few hundred yards to its present location in front of the Seabee Museum -- the front gate is gone, the victim of road construction."

December 2007: The Seabee statue has been temporarily taken down and moved to a storage building for restoration and repainting, which should take about six months. It will return as the centerpiece of a new plaza.

Fighting Seabee Statue

Address:: 21 Lafrate Way, North Kingstown, RI [Show Map]
Directions:: I-95 North to exit 8A to Route 2 south, get into the far-left lane and turn left at first traffic light. Follow signs for Route 4 south. Turn right at the second light and merge onto Route 4 south. Take exit 9, first exit on the right, onto Route 403.
Hours:: Undergoing restoration, returns July-Aug 2008. (Call to verify)
Phone:: 401-294-7233