I fully know this story. This story is passed down and every Seabee knows it. The best part of the story is that they say it is the Seabees again. Again means they did something like this before.
I knew an old Seabee who served in the pacific island hopping campaign during WWII. (Now deceased 😢) He told me with great pride how whenever they setup at a new island to build an airfield, they would get the distillery setup before the mess hall! He said.. "John Wayne was right, we do build and fight, but he left out the drinking part for the movie!!!"
Based on this, I think I need to tell my father's story about the hometown boy and the WWII ice house on Guam. Late in World War II, the island of Guam served as a base for B-29 bomber squadrons that were flying to bomb the Japanese mainland. Leroy, a native of my small hometown, was stationed as a gunner on one of these aircraft. Guam is hot. Crazy hot. In that climate anything that could keep you cool was valuable and the most valuable thing was ice. Leroy realized this, and after he had been out there a short time, he started to think. He wrote to his brother who was still stateside, and somehow managed to get a small ice-making plant shipped to the island. Leroy found a wrecked Japanese truck left from when the Americans had retaken the island, which still had a good engine in it. He pulled out the engine, connected it to the ice making machinery, and started producing ice for his friends. Word spread in a hurry about the man who had the ice machine. Leroy was like the only man in a mining camp who knew what a gold nugget looked like. Very soon he had a stream of enlisted men and officers coming to him, wanting to trade whatever he was willing to take for his precious commodity. The O club could suddenly have ice for their whiskey and mixed drinks. It didn't take long for squadron command to decide that Leroy was a lot more valuable to morale on the ground and making ice than in the air and not shooting down Japanese aircraft, because there weren't any Japanese aircraft left to shoot down. He was informally and unofficially grounded, and reassigned to the duties of making sure there was ice for the officers and whichever enlisted men were lucky enough to be his friends. This was all fine, except that being on the ground meant Leroy was not flying the required number of missions to qualify for extra combat pay, which knocked a hole in his paycheck. So a cooperative company clerk was voluntold to fudge the papers so that Leroy appeared to have flown the minimum number of missions, and would get his combat pay. The ice plant kept going. When the Japanese truck engine finally broke down beyond fixing, a Jeep was "conveniently" wrecked, with its engine miraculously saved and put to work running the machinery. The word spread among boys from my rural Texas county serving in the Pacific that Leroy was a source of the luxuries that you needed special pull to get, and anyone who could made sure to stop by Guam to say hello to Leroy at the icehouse. You want to keep your friends. Leroy kept making ice until V-J Day, then came home once his enlistment had expired. He went to work as a body shop and tow truck operator, as I knew him.
61 years old and I had a similar response as Mark to the name of the Korean town. That story absolutely needs to be turned into a movie. And this just became my second favorite Korean War story with the first being US battleship group off NK held coast,battle wagon gets a little close to shore and NK light gun emplacement sees the Americans have gotten within range of their pop gun so they spin the gun around ( IIRC the NK gun was not coastal but intended for land targets) and touch off a round. Despite range they land a hit on the battleship and celebrations all around as they've slapped the Americans and then they notice one of the 16 inch turrets swinging around in their direction. After the NK gun and it's crew and a sizable chunk of surrounding real estate was restored to it's original molecular components and free floating hydrocarbons one of the destroyers in the battle group was supposed to have signaled the message temper temper to the battleship.
It wasn't just one turret. It was the USS Wisconsin and upon getting struck (superficially by the way, no damage) proceeded to return fire with a full broadside of all 9 main guns and completely.destroy the emplacement. The escorting cruiser then signaled the "Temper, temper" message.
@@Oceanus_Rex yes been a bit since I last heard the story. Still have to imagine one guy on the gun crew uh guys I think we made it mad right before the world lit up.
They gave a small shore battery a full broadside, completely wiped them off the face of the earth. They never repaired the shell holes on the ship, and you can still see it today.
The SeaBee’s are well versed in the age old military tradition of Strategically Transferring Equipment to Alternate Locations 😂 Usually while putting the RGS drunkenness to shame
A person who shall remain nameless was a Seabee in WW2 and served in Europe. Anywho, fast forward a few decades later. A natural disaster occurred resulting in considerable damage. Said former Seabee was responsible for maintenance in this area. The appropriate agency had a large equipment yard in adjacent city. A bulldozer was strategically relocated to the disaster cite. When asked about the bulldozer, the former Seabee responded I thought you guys brought it up.
I love the Top Gearesque opening. Beautiful. Also, yeah, how is this not a freakin movie? 9 guys sneak into a train yard, one voice across the way, "hey sarge, you wanna come check this out?". A door slides open, golden light and angel choir ensues. "Boys, we're gettin hammered tonight!" Boisterous whispering cheers, and a montage of loading up pallets of booze onto NOT CARS, but tinders of locos......genius.
And this incident caused the Seabee’s to be known to, in the words of The Fat Electrician, Strategically Transfer Equipment to Alternate Locations. The Marines Yeeteth, and the Seabee’s Yoinketh away. And I would say they were 2-8-0’s as we shipped many over there after WWI or WWII. One ended up back in the US in Green Bay, WI at the National Railroad Museum.
@@sawyerawr5783 didn’t know about the Erie sending a 4-6-2 over there. I knew about the General Pershing class 2-8-0’s that were sent there in 1947, having seen the one in Green Bay which had been in Korea from 1947 until it was donated to the National Railroad Museum in 1957.
The Seabees were well known for strategically transferring equipment back into WWII, well before this incident. Gotta agree with you, though, this one was pretty amazingly strategic-and the location more "alternate" than usual-even for the Seabees.
There presumably would have been a good amount of Japanese locomotives around as well (since they controlled it for most of the first half of the 20th century), assuming the Soviets didn’t just steal those too in 1945.
This has topped the RGS in ridiculousnesses. I didn’t think that was possible but the amount of things that had to go right for this to work is insane. The mental images for this are just hilarious. This needs to be a movie.
I was Air Force Combat Construction in Vietnam, we were constantly given impossible tasks without the means or material. When I left the service I apprenticed to these guys who went directly from the CCC's to the military, mostly Corps of Engineers and See Bees. So they were experienced older guys than regular troops. A lot of these guys got called up after they were discharged following WWII. I worked for a superintendent at one point who started out as a buck private in the Corp of Engineers and ended up a Major, building bridges across the Rhine. These guys were amazing individuals, all of them! Thanks for reminding me of them. They rarely told their stories. Combat engineering units are truly incredible. Thanks for the story, it brought back some of my own memories.
I've run SW-8's 2015 and 2024 at the South Carolina Railroad Museum. Both of these locomotives were shipped to Korea and used by the Army during the Korean war. Both were returned and used by various stateside bases until they finally wound up at Fort Stewart, GA.
im so happy that this is on an episode. i was seriously about to submit this exact story in the form of the fat electrician video cuz its hella entertaining. moral of the story is that the SeaBees AKA combat construction crew are fucking insane. this and Paul Bunion are my 2 fav Korean War stories
Their priorities when delegating whos doing what to get the locomotives ready are spot on. Bare minimum crew to get the engines steamed up and everyone else grab as much alcohol as we can carry 😂
As someone who has seen M.A.S.H reruns at most stages of my life, the Korean War is not an unknown war theater. But this was completely unknown to me and freaking amazing! It's so wild and somehow very stereotypical to Americans as we view them.
I'm surprised there weren't as many casualties as there were considering most of the crew (if not all of the crew) were hammered during the entire operation. Gotta say, this was the best episode yet imo, and this situation should for sure become a movie. Great Job!
After searching on google images, the only korean war era locomotives I could find that vaguely fit the description brett gave are chinese built mikados.
They could have been USATC S160s, which were operated by both the North and South Korean Railroads before the war. In South Korean service "they were used primarily in yard duty and occasional short local trains".
You should do an 101 on passenger coach's and rolling stock Combat engineer are probably. Most important unit in the military. Also had a big roll in stoping the Germans from capturing Antwerp Their also national guard unit called old hickory who had to hold a hill in WW2 at all costs
My Grandpa served as a U.S. Naval radio operator during the Korean war. Also this: Different U.S. military branches @ 5AM: Marines ~ Already doing morning exercises, Army ~ Still in the process of waking up, Air Force ~ Still asleep in their bunks, Navy ~ Still out drinking on the streets of whatever port they're currently anchored in! 🤣🤣🤣 That being said, they probably go through more coffee than the other three branches combined...
Military engineers are just freaking AMAZING. Whether it's World War 2, Korea, Vietnam or modern days. The United States Army Transportation Corps and Corps of Engineers were the unsung heroes of WW2 on the Eastern front, with the CoE rebuilding or regauging tens of thousands of miles of German track to standard gauge. Often done while under extreme conditions, under heavy fire, under artillery and aircraft attack; explosions all around them, these brave and often-forgotten soldiers laid down rails straight through hellfire and brimstone, pulling heavy trains loaded with desperately needed supplies, with locomotives custom-made for the job, some of which exist in preservation in places like Britain to this very day. From D-Day to VE Day, the USATC and Corps of Engineers kept the trains running, the supplies moving and morale high. On time, on schedule, on target. No matter the time, no matter the place, no matter the conditions. If you wanted a railroad through literal hell, these would be the guys to call. And no demon or devil would bother them. That's how tough these military engineers were, lean, mean, merciless railroad-building machines. The railroad WILL go through! The USATC, the USACoE and the Seabees are some of the biggest and baddest god-damn heroes in the entire armed forces. The Seabees' unofficial motto of "We Build, We Fight" deserves a third phrase: "We Win". And this is a hill I will die on if necessary as it's not just their legacy, it's mine too. My late grandfather was part of the Corps of Engineers in the era they speak of in this video.
Actually, Germany has always used standard gauge (aside from the inevitable pockets of narrow gauge in the mountains and industrial applications, etc.). So there wasn't really any "re-gauging" to do. Most of the work came from fixing bridges and re-grading the rail yards that had attracted the attention of Allied air power. And supplying rolling stock, fixing things, etc. That's not to say that they didn't do incredible, heroic, work. Just that a lot of the railroad work did not happen under combat conditions, at least partly due to Allied policy on the use of trains as opposed to trucks. Trains were generally reserved for strategic, rear-line, operations. The bulk of the re-gauging work took place on the Eastern Front, with Germany trying to rebuild Russian broad gauge to standard gauge and vice-versa. After the initial surprise advance, both sides took to using a VERY nasty device known as a rail plow, which was specifically designed to be towed behind a locomotive and thoroughly destroy track behind it.
truly think this is the best episode of the 3/4th show to date; I think I've re-watched it at least three or four times at this point, I think the best part is how unlike every other citation needed episode where the refrain is "how did this go? Poorly." this episode is "how did this go? Surprisingly well."
I second Hyce by saying this was also my favourite story. I absolutely love listening to the wackiest railroad tales that hardly anyone talks about and love laughing along with you guys. Keep up the good work gang. :3
There were Russians in the war flying MiG-15s. All of them were WWII aces. They went so far to hide it as in one case where one got shot down and parachuted to safety, another MiG-15 straffed him twice with his twin 23mm and single 37mm cannons. Needless to say, there was hardly anything left of the guy. This incident, though, points to why the Seabee slogan is “Seabees Can Do”. One Seabee is worth 100 Army Engineers or 500 USAF Red Horse Engineers… since, fewer men to divide the alcohol between! Hyce, you should look up the history of USS Barb from WWII. The only submarine ever credited with “sinking a locomotive”, and had a locomotive painted on their sail / conn tower with their ship kills. The crew apparently went ashore on Japan (the only on foot attack carried out on the mainland by the US in the entire war) and dynamited the tracks of a bridge as the locomotive rolled over it.
Hyce and the 3/4 show masters have you heard the story from WWII where a U.S. Submarine used it's deck gun to fire on a Japanese troop and weapons train traveling near the coast of Japan?
The Official Report on this ridiculous story On September 15, 1950, American troops landed at Inchon and began fighting their way eastward toward the capital city of Seoul, Korea. From the air it was observed that 8 switcher locomotives were trapped behind enemy lines in a small town named Yong Dong Po, located a few miles away. Seabees from Amphibious Construction Battalion One volunteered to retrieve the locomotives and bring them behind the U.S. Marine lines. Chief Petty Officer E.A. Sidney, a Seabee veteran and former railroad man, volunteered to get the locomotives. Most reports say that Sidney took 8 others with him, and there are records of 3 men, Donald T. Bloomer, Walter Horn, and Gordon K. Barnett, receiving Navy Commendation Ribbons in 1951 for this action. Upon reaching the trapped locomotives in Yong Dong Po, the men realized the trains were sitting at the switching yard for Kirin Brewery and proceeded to load 15 cases of beer and sake onto the trains. As they headed towards the safety of the U.S. Marine lines, several broken rails had to be repaired by the Seabees along the way. Shortly after starting the engines, the North Korean infantry noticed the movement and began to fire rifles and machine guns at the moving locomotives. Minutes later, North Korean mortars began dropping shells on the trains, and shrapnel fragments showered the locomotive cabs and boilers as they moved. The men ducked down and kept moving towards the area occupied by the U.S. Marines. Marines of the First Division were unaware this was going on and upon seeing the locomotives approaching from behind enemy lines, the Marines set up a bazooka along the track to blow the trains up. Marines also began firing shells and bullets at the approaching trains. A young Marine private named Crestfallen noticed the men driving the trains were wearing green fatigues with a GI cut, and said “Hold your fire! Wait a second, these guys aren’t North Koreans!” He shook head and said to his WWII veteran platoon sergeant, “Imagine that, Sarge, there was a bunch of “doggies” out ahead of us.” “Naw,” the sergeant said, “it’s just them damned Seabees at it again!” The Seabees approached the Marines laughing and waving. One report says the beer and sake was not issued to soldiers because of danger of contamination but Sidney admitted that a sampling of the beer and sake back at the brewery may have influenced their resolve in the matter at hand. In an illustration of the event by Robert Pearson, all of the soldiers on the trains are waiving beer bottles in their hands as they come from behind enemy lines into the area secured by the Marines. The mystery of what happened to the beer and sake once behind Marine lines remains.
Will never forget the Korean War. I knew someone who fought in it and he met his wife there. He passed away a few years ago, but I and my family are still close friends with his wife.
Hey, chair force, ground pounders, crayon eaters, puddle pirates, and queer peers are great people to be around. They all joke about each others but they all friends.
My grandfather was part of the Navy during the Korean War, though he spent most of it state-side. He was present at Bikini Atoll for the H-bomb test in ‘54. I do miss him, I would have loved to ask if he’d heard of this glorious story. Cheers from Philly, fellas!
*track obstructed ahead* guy in the lead: 'f&ck we need to repair the track guys' *each seabee drinks one beer in sync* *track MAGICALLY APPEARS OUT OF NOWHERE*
Being a Navy vet, i highly appreciate the Navy jokes. and the Sea Story. I knew a Seabee that went by the name of White, he got cross rated to GSE sice the Seabees are a dying breed. But let me tell you, they're every bit as smart as they are crazy
It seems folks take either pronunciations these days, but as soon as I heard the way the man pronounced it himself I've worked on making sure I say it that way. Feels more proper.
@@Hyce777 I am with you though I can picture these men firing off rounds while they blasted their way back their lines. Also thank for the shoutout for us veterans we do deeply appreciated you and everyone at the CRRM for supporting the veteran community.
ya know, when i read the title, i thought they filled the boilers with beer and tried running like that i was even more sure of this when it was said the engines were at a beer distillery then i was laughing my ass off at the actual story
The only Korean War story I knew before watching this was the story of Staff Sergeant Reckless, bought by 1st Marine Division commander Eric Pedersen. Reckless was a Mongolian racehorse from the track in Seoul, but races were put on hold during the Korean War. Eric purchased Reckless (at the time named "Flame"), and under Gunnery Sergeant Joe Latham she began hoof camp. Her task was hauling loads of shells for the 1st Division's recoilless rifles, usually 6 strapped to her packsaddle or even 8 on some occasions. She also made stops to collect wounded soldiers, and even acted as a shield for fresh troops heading to the fight. Reckless, by now promoted to Staff Sergeant, survived the Korean War and retired with full military honors. She lived out her golden years at the Camp Pendleton stables in Oceanside, CA, and while there she reared three foals: Fearless, Dauntless, and Chesty (after Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, one of the few men allowed to ride Reckless). A plaque stands at the Camp Pendleton stables in her honor, and the National Marine Corps Museum has a statue of her. Awards: Purple Heart with one star Navy Presidential Unit Citation with one star Navy Unit Commendation Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal National Defense Service Medal Korean Service Medal with 3 bronze stars United Nations Korea Medal French Fourragere Reckless was posthumously given the Animals in War & Peace Medal of Bravery, the new American equivalent to the Dickin Medal
This is *almost* RGS level screwery... also, my Grandpa served in Korea. He was a mechanic in the air force, so thank your for that shout out to the armed forces :]
She was bigger than a Winnebago, a Winnebago, but she looked like Vannah White after nine Coronas! Always good to know there's people as old as me out there... I should go back and revisit the Dr. Demento rabbit hole.
I would love to see a movie version of this story. Plus, if you are looking for a place to do the show, why not try doing the show inside one of the grease?
Beeing slightly hammered after hard week of work. Typing with my drinking friend about some dude who get under train and bites police officers who tried to get him out (he was drugged and/or hammered with booze and caused delay of mine, and many other's trains). Listening to some train related sea shanties, and then watching this video. 100/10 best day of this month for sure! 🤣🤣🤣
@@Hyce777 Cheers from Poland to you guys! I'm going to visit and get on board trains in my first time ever seen narrow-gauge museum! Hope they have some steam choo-choos!
I heard from a Amtrak employee that the talgo trainsets are going out of service on the cascades service in December of this year, only two trains still run with the sets, im pretty sure its 501 and 502 but i might be wrong
Re: the DSLR stopping filming: Unless you flash them with alternative firmware like Magic Lantern, they will only film for 29 minutes and 59 seconds. This to avoid having to pay extra fees as anything that films 30 minutes or more is classed a videocamera instead of a photocamera, and videocameras are taxed (or something with patents, or whatever, I don't know the specifics) differently.
I think the big reason for not 'bringing locomotives from home' is the time it would take for them to cross the Pacific on a ship. Plus some to get suitable locomotives on suitable ship ...
I fully know this story. This story is passed down and every Seabee knows it. The best part of the story is that they say it is the Seabees again. Again means they did something like this before.
Well of course they did!
I was crying when I just heard the line
"Naw, it's just the goddamn Seabees again."
I haven't laughed like this in a long while
"again" what had they done last time?
I knew an old Seabee who served in the pacific island hopping campaign during WWII. (Now deceased 😢) He told me with great pride how whenever they setup at a new island to build an airfield, they would get the distillery setup before the mess hall! He said.. "John Wayne was right, we do build and fight, but he left out the drinking part for the movie!!!"
My great grandpa was a Seabee he told a similar tale
Based on this, I think I need to tell my father's story about the hometown boy and the WWII ice house on Guam.
Late in World War II, the island of Guam served as a base for B-29 bomber squadrons that were flying to bomb the Japanese mainland. Leroy, a native of my small hometown, was stationed as a gunner on one of these aircraft.
Guam is hot. Crazy hot. In that climate anything that could keep you cool was valuable and the most valuable thing was ice. Leroy realized this, and after he had been out there a short time, he started to think. He wrote to his brother who was still stateside, and somehow managed to get a small ice-making plant shipped to the island. Leroy found a wrecked Japanese truck left from when the Americans had retaken the island, which still had a good engine in it. He pulled out the engine, connected it to the ice making machinery, and started producing ice for his friends.
Word spread in a hurry about the man who had the ice machine. Leroy was like the only man in a mining camp who knew what a gold nugget looked like. Very soon he had a stream of enlisted men and officers coming to him, wanting to trade whatever he was willing to take for his precious commodity. The O club could suddenly have ice for their whiskey and mixed drinks.
It didn't take long for squadron command to decide that Leroy was a lot more valuable to morale on the ground and making ice than in the air and not shooting down Japanese aircraft, because there weren't any Japanese aircraft left to shoot down. He was informally and unofficially grounded, and reassigned to the duties of making sure there was ice for the officers and whichever enlisted men were lucky enough to be his friends.
This was all fine, except that being on the ground meant Leroy was not flying the required number of missions to qualify for extra combat pay, which knocked a hole in his paycheck. So a cooperative company clerk was voluntold to fudge the papers so that Leroy appeared to have flown the minimum number of missions, and would get his combat pay.
The ice plant kept going. When the Japanese truck engine finally broke down beyond fixing, a Jeep was "conveniently" wrecked, with its engine miraculously saved and put to work running the machinery.
The word spread among boys from my rural Texas county serving in the Pacific that Leroy was a source of the luxuries that you needed special pull to get, and anyone who could made sure to stop by Guam to say hello to Leroy at the icehouse. You want to keep your friends.
Leroy kept making ice until V-J Day, then came home once his enlistment had expired. He went to work as a body shop and tow truck operator, as I knew him.
@@jmcosmos people knew my great grandpa as Jr Jeffries he was a carpenters mate second class
"WE'RE STEALING THE LOCOMOTIVES AND THE BEER GODDAMNIT!!!!!!!!!!" That was my favorite moment.
61 years old and I had a similar response as Mark to the name of the Korean town.
That story absolutely needs to be turned into a movie.
And this just became my second favorite Korean War story with the first being US battleship group off NK held coast,battle wagon gets a little close to shore and NK light gun emplacement sees the Americans have gotten within range of their pop gun so they spin the gun around ( IIRC the NK gun was not coastal but intended for land targets) and touch off a round. Despite range they land a hit on the battleship and celebrations all around as they've slapped the Americans and then they notice one of the 16 inch turrets swinging around in their direction. After the NK gun and it's crew and a sizable chunk of surrounding real estate was restored to it's original molecular components and free floating hydrocarbons one of the destroyers in the battle group was supposed to have signaled the message temper temper to the battleship.
From what I've heard they turned all of the turrets and returned a full salvo
It wasn't just one turret. It was the USS Wisconsin and upon getting struck (superficially by the way, no damage) proceeded to return fire with a full broadside of all 9 main guns and completely.destroy the emplacement. The escorting cruiser then signaled the "Temper, temper" message.
@@Oceanus_Rex yes been a bit since I last heard the story. Still have to imagine one guy on the gun crew uh guys I think we made it mad right before the world lit up.
I believe that was the Wisconsin
They gave a small shore battery a full broadside, completely wiped them off the face of the earth. They never repaired the shell holes on the ship, and you can still see it today.
17:08 "...and how does this go for them?"
Everyone watching in unison with the cast: "Poorly!"
And everyone is wrong 😂😂😅😅😅😊😊
"Leighton, give us a double-brief version of the Korean War."
Me, who's watched Spaceballs: "Okay, here we go: The Short-Short version."
this is gonna be really fun to look back at in like 50 years
Lol
its fun to look back at NOW, why wouldnt it in 50 years
@@Finat0 thats a fair point
The SeaBee’s are well versed in the age old military tradition of Strategically Transferring Equipment to Alternate Locations 😂
Usually while putting the RGS drunkenness to shame
YES
I'm fairly sure even the RGS is looking at the SeaBees like "Dude...that's a bit much"
A person who shall remain nameless was a Seabee in WW2 and served in Europe. Anywho, fast forward a few decades later. A natural disaster occurred resulting in considerable damage. Said former Seabee was responsible for maintenance in this area. The appropriate agency had a large equipment yard in adjacent city. A bulldozer was strategically relocated to the disaster cite. When asked about the bulldozer, the former Seabee responded I thought you guys brought it up.
@@kirknitz3794 I wonder how he only took a dozer. Almost all CAT equipment uses the same key and don´t ask how I know. 😂
I love the Top Gearesque opening. Beautiful. Also, yeah, how is this not a freakin movie? 9 guys sneak into a train yard, one voice across the way, "hey sarge, you wanna come check this out?". A door slides open, golden light and angel choir ensues. "Boys, we're gettin hammered tonight!" Boisterous whispering cheers, and a montage of loading up pallets of booze onto NOT CARS, but tinders of locos......genius.
Tenders, tinders is like thee stuff you need for fire
Add in the theme song "Smokey and the Bandit"... We've got a long way to, and a short time to get there...
And this incident caused the Seabee’s to be known to, in the words of The Fat Electrician, Strategically Transfer Equipment to Alternate Locations. The Marines Yeeteth, and the Seabee’s Yoinketh away. And I would say they were 2-8-0’s as we shipped many over there after WWI or WWII. One ended up back in the US in Green Bay, WI at the National Railroad Museum.
The Erie actually sent a 4-6-2 over as well. I believe a K5 class? Sadly, it's more or less confirmed to have been cut up.
@@sawyerawr5783 didn’t know about the Erie sending a 4-6-2 over there. I knew about the General Pershing class 2-8-0’s that were sent there in 1947, having seen the one in Green Bay which had been in Korea from 1947 until it was donated to the National Railroad Museum in 1957.
The Seabees were well known for strategically transferring equipment back into WWII, well before this incident. Gotta agree with you, though, this one was pretty amazingly strategic-and the location more "alternate" than usual-even for the Seabees.
There presumably would have been a good amount of Japanese locomotives around as well (since they controlled it for most of the first half of the 20th century), assuming the Soviets didn’t just steal those too in 1945.
This has topped the RGS in ridiculousnesses. I didn’t think that was possible but the amount of things that had to go right for this to work is insane. The mental images for this are just hilarious. This needs to be a movie.
This is the complete opposite of the rgs story for the rgs every thing went wrong but with the seebee everything went right
We build! We Fight! WE DRINK TO THE FOAM!
From the SeaBee's that I know. This checks out.
I was Air Force Combat Construction in Vietnam, we were constantly given impossible tasks without the means or material. When I left the service I apprenticed to these guys who went directly from the CCC's to the military, mostly Corps of Engineers and See Bees. So they were experienced older guys than regular troops. A lot of these guys got called up after they were discharged following WWII. I worked for a superintendent at one point who started out as a buck private in the Corp of Engineers and ended up a Major, building bridges across the Rhine. These guys were amazing individuals, all of them! Thanks for reminding me of them. They rarely told their stories. Combat engineering units are truly incredible. Thanks for the story, it brought back some of my own memories.
Always nice having the Hyce local arrive, and each time this month (or there about) dropping off a 30 foot boxcar full of "¾ of an idiot" show
I've run SW-8's 2015 and 2024 at the South Carolina Railroad Museum. Both of these locomotives were shipped to Korea and used by the Army during the Korean war. Both were returned and used by various stateside bases until they finally wound up at Fort Stewart, GA.
im so happy that this is on an episode. i was seriously about to submit this exact story in the form of the fat electrician video cuz its hella entertaining. moral of the story is that the SeaBees AKA combat construction crew are fucking insane. this and Paul Bunion are my 2 fav Korean War stories
STEAL THE BOOZE
I came here to drop a comment about the Fat Electrician myself (and watch the video), nice to see another fan in the wild!
@@Telemachus2814 we're all the same kinda stupid lol
Same here would love to see their reaction to his video on this.
I too would like to se the 3/4s react to Nics video on this story.
The Fat Electrician did a video on this. He's former military, and his videos are funny as hell.
Their priorities when delegating whos doing what to get the locomotives ready are spot on. Bare minimum crew to get the engines steamed up and everyone else grab as much alcohol as we can carry 😂
As someone who has seen M.A.S.H reruns at most stages of my life, the Korean War is not an unknown war theater.
But this was completely unknown to me and freaking amazing!
It's so wild and somehow very stereotypical to Americans as we view them.
I learned the other day that the Oklahoma Railway Museum has an operational diesel shunter built for the navy around this time.
I'm surprised there weren't as many casualties as there were considering most of the crew (if not all of the crew) were hammered during the entire operation. Gotta say, this was the best episode yet imo, and this situation should for sure become a movie. Great Job!
I heard about this story about a year ago… still makes me laugh that a bunch of drunk naval men can steal 9 locomotives and survive it all😂
God I wish I knew about this story a few years ago. My grandfather was apart of the Seabees in Vietnam, so have easily heard about this.
After searching on google images, the only korean war era locomotives I could find that vaguely fit the description brett gave are chinese built mikados.
They could have been USATC S160s, which were operated by both the North and South Korean Railroads before the war. In South Korean service "they were used primarily in yard duty and occasional short local trains".
You should do an 101 on passenger coach's and rolling stock
Combat engineer are probably. Most important unit in the military. Also had a big roll in stoping the Germans from capturing Antwerp
Their also national guard unit called old hickory who had to hold a hill in WW2 at all costs
My Grandpa served as a U.S. Naval radio operator during the Korean war. Also this: Different U.S. military branches @ 5AM: Marines ~ Already doing morning exercises, Army ~ Still in the process of waking up, Air Force ~ Still asleep in their bunks, Navy ~ Still out drinking on the streets of whatever port they're currently anchored in! 🤣🤣🤣 That being said, they probably go through more coffee than the other three branches combined...
A Navy friend told me this one
What's the difference between Navy coffee and bilge water?
Temperature
@@sooline3854 *spit takes* 🤣🤣🤣OMG, did you ever watch Black Adder back in the day? Reminds of the 'coffee' from the 4th series!!! ^.^
Military engineers are just freaking AMAZING. Whether it's World War 2, Korea, Vietnam or modern days.
The United States Army Transportation Corps and Corps of Engineers were the unsung heroes of WW2 on the Eastern front, with the CoE rebuilding or regauging tens of thousands of miles of German track to standard gauge.
Often done while under extreme conditions, under heavy fire, under artillery and aircraft attack; explosions all around them, these brave and often-forgotten soldiers laid down rails straight through hellfire and brimstone, pulling heavy trains loaded with desperately needed supplies, with locomotives custom-made for the job, some of which exist in preservation in places like Britain to this very day.
From D-Day to VE Day, the USATC and Corps of Engineers kept the trains running, the supplies moving and morale high. On time, on schedule, on target. No matter the time, no matter the place, no matter the conditions.
If you wanted a railroad through literal hell, these would be the guys to call. And no demon or devil would bother them. That's how tough these military engineers were, lean, mean, merciless railroad-building machines. The railroad WILL go through!
The USATC, the USACoE and the Seabees are some of the biggest and baddest god-damn heroes in the entire armed forces.
The Seabees' unofficial motto of "We Build, We Fight" deserves a third phrase: "We Win".
And this is a hill I will die on if necessary as it's not just their legacy, it's mine too. My late grandfather was part of the Corps of Engineers in the era they speak of in this video.
Actually, Germany has always used standard gauge (aside from the inevitable pockets of narrow gauge in the mountains and industrial applications, etc.). So there wasn't really any "re-gauging" to do. Most of the work came from fixing bridges and re-grading the rail yards that had attracted the attention of Allied air power. And supplying rolling stock, fixing things, etc.
That's not to say that they didn't do incredible, heroic, work. Just that a lot of the railroad work did not happen under combat conditions, at least partly due to Allied policy on the use of trains as opposed to trucks. Trains were generally reserved for strategic, rear-line, operations.
The bulk of the re-gauging work took place on the Eastern Front, with Germany trying to rebuild Russian broad gauge to standard gauge and vice-versa. After the initial surprise advance, both sides took to using a VERY nasty device known as a rail plow, which was specifically designed to be towed behind a locomotive and thoroughly destroy track behind it.
Now THAT's a story! Too bad not all of the cameras were working...and too bad we can't expect limes this time. (We'll make sure you get them later!)
truly think this is the best episode of the 3/4th show to date; I think I've re-watched it at least three or four times at this point, I think the best part is how unlike every other citation needed episode where the refrain is "how did this go? Poorly." this episode is "how did this go? Surprisingly well."
Me thinking the great snow on the RGS story couldn't be beaten.
Seabees: Allow us to introduce ourself
This needs to be a movie, so badly. So so badly.
Smells Like Kenosha began playing on Spotify just as the notification for this video appeared!
These videos get me to laugh harder and more often than meme videos and RUclips poops do. Thank you so much!
I second Hyce by saying this was also my favourite story. I absolutely love listening to the wackiest railroad tales that hardly anyone talks about and love laughing along with you guys. Keep up the good work gang. :3
There were Russians in the war flying MiG-15s. All of them were WWII aces. They went so far to hide it as in one case where one got shot down and parachuted to safety, another MiG-15 straffed him twice with his twin 23mm and single 37mm cannons. Needless to say, there was hardly anything left of the guy. This incident, though, points to why the Seabee slogan is “Seabees Can Do”. One Seabee is worth 100 Army Engineers or 500 USAF Red Horse Engineers… since, fewer men to divide the alcohol between!
Hyce, you should look up the history of USS Barb from WWII. The only submarine ever credited with “sinking a locomotive”, and had a locomotive painted on their sail / conn tower with their ship kills. The crew apparently went ashore on Japan (the only on foot attack carried out on the mainland by the US in the entire war) and dynamited the tracks of a bridge as the locomotive rolled over it.
Hyce and the 3/4 show masters have you heard the story from WWII where a U.S. Submarine used it's deck gun to fire on a Japanese troop and weapons train traveling near the coast of Japan?
TheFatElectrician does a great video on this story as well as many other military history stories.
Thanks from Navy Expeditionary Combat Commmand! You helped provide some details for the history lesson I'm doing on this.
The Official Report on this ridiculous story
On September 15, 1950, American troops landed at Inchon and began fighting their way eastward toward the capital city of Seoul, Korea. From the air it was observed that 8 switcher locomotives were trapped behind enemy lines in a small town named Yong Dong Po, located a few miles away. Seabees from Amphibious Construction Battalion One volunteered to retrieve the locomotives and bring them behind the U.S. Marine lines. Chief Petty Officer E.A. Sidney, a Seabee veteran and former railroad man, volunteered to get the locomotives. Most reports say that Sidney took 8 others with him, and there are records of 3 men, Donald T. Bloomer, Walter Horn, and Gordon K. Barnett, receiving Navy Commendation Ribbons in 1951 for this action.
Upon reaching the trapped locomotives in Yong Dong Po, the men realized the trains were sitting at the switching yard for Kirin Brewery and proceeded to load 15 cases of beer and sake onto the trains. As they headed towards the safety of the U.S. Marine lines, several broken rails had to be repaired by the Seabees along the way. Shortly after starting the engines, the North Korean infantry noticed the movement and began to fire rifles and machine guns at the moving locomotives. Minutes later, North Korean mortars began dropping shells on the trains, and shrapnel fragments showered the locomotive cabs and boilers as they moved. The men ducked down and kept moving towards the area occupied by the U.S. Marines.
Marines of the First Division were unaware this was going on and upon seeing the locomotives approaching from behind enemy lines, the Marines set up a bazooka along the track to blow the trains up. Marines also began firing shells and bullets at the approaching trains. A young Marine private named Crestfallen noticed the men driving the trains were wearing green fatigues with a GI cut, and said “Hold your fire! Wait a second, these guys aren’t North Koreans!” He shook head and said to his WWII veteran platoon sergeant, “Imagine that, Sarge, there was a bunch of “doggies” out ahead of us.” “Naw,” the sergeant said, “it’s just them damned Seabees at it again!” The Seabees approached the Marines laughing and waving.
One report says the beer and sake was not issued to soldiers because of danger of contamination but Sidney admitted that a sampling of the beer and sake back at the brewery may have influenced their resolve in the matter at hand. In an illustration of the event by Robert Pearson, all of the soldiers on the trains are waiving beer bottles in their hands as they come from behind enemy lines into the area secured by the Marines. The mystery of what happened to the beer and sake once behind Marine lines remains.
could we have an episode on the abomination of a train known as the ATSF 3000 series, aka the 2-10-10-2?
What about the time a submarine crew sunk a steam engine? That could be a good story
No you arent getting any more context than that
Not even a date?
@@eshock9208 USS Barb
@@sooline3854Commander "Lucky" Fluckey
A sub's battle flag with a train on it was always going to worth a look but that story was WILD.
I was in tears by the end of this. And Leighton is so right this NEEDS to be a movie.
I can't decide if it would be a better action or comedy.
These men are freaking legends, oh my god.
Will never forget the Korean War. I knew someone who fought in it and he met his wife there. He passed away a few years ago, but I and my family are still close friends with his wife.
That is by far the best Korean war story I've ever heard lol
only the seabees could pull of a railroad story that doesnt go "poorly"
This story literally has the same energy as Down Periscope or something similar, I keep coming back and keep laughing every single time
cant have a single have a single hyce video without smt going wrong
Hey, chair force, ground pounders, crayon eaters, puddle pirates, and queer peers are great people to be around. They all joke about each others but they all friends.
This is such an American thing to do, steal some trains and a boat load of beer. I really enjoyed this episode, citation needed is always a fun watch.
My grandfather was part of the Navy during the Korean War, though he spent most of it state-side. He was present at Bikini Atoll for the H-bomb test in ‘54. I do miss him, I would have loved to ask if he’d heard of this glorious story. Cheers from Philly, fellas!
this is so funny im laughing that my sides are hurting and im coughing
This NEEDS to be a movie LMFAO!!!!!!!!
Need to give your bird a "dunce hat" for the 3/4 show intro :)
The Fact Electrician did a video on this story and he made it OUTRIGHT HILARIOUS
dude we need a friggin hollywood movie about this
That sounds like the A-Team stories.
*track obstructed ahead*
guy in the lead: 'f&ck we need to repair the track guys'
*each seabee drinks one beer in sync*
*track MAGICALLY APPEARS OUT OF NOWHERE*
Being a Navy vet, i highly appreciate the Navy jokes. and the Sea Story. I knew a Seabee that went by the name of White, he got cross rated to GSE sice the Seabees are a dying breed. But let me tell you, they're every bit as smart as they are crazy
I would like to nominate Mark for an additional point for the sole reason he pronounced John Garand’s last name right (Gehr-rand) but that just me.
It seems folks take either pronunciations these days, but as soon as I heard the way the man pronounced it himself I've worked on making sure I say it that way. Feels more proper.
@@Hyce777 I am with you though I can picture these men firing off rounds while they blasted their way back their lines. Also thank for the shoutout for us veterans we do deeply appreciated you and everyone at the CRRM for supporting the veteran community.
For indoor lime purposes, you could put drops of lime juice in the offenders beverage
This might actually be better than the original citation needed.
I knew this story about the Seebees from The Fat Electrician and yeah, the Seebees are wild and they don't fuck around but you will find out.
The intro makes me so happy 🏎🚗🚙🛻
Didn't the marines almost blow the lead engine up with a bazooka before they figured out the seabees were on board?
ya know, when i read the title, i thought they filled the boilers with beer and tried running like that
i was even more sure of this when it was said the engines were at a beer distillery
then i was laughing my ass off at the actual story
The heart of dixie rail road museum has 2 diesel locomotives that were used in the Korean war.
That was, by far, the funniest shite I have watched this month lol😂
The only Korean War story I knew before watching this was the story of Staff Sergeant Reckless, bought by 1st Marine Division commander Eric Pedersen. Reckless was a Mongolian racehorse from the track in Seoul, but races were put on hold during the Korean War. Eric purchased Reckless (at the time named "Flame"), and under Gunnery Sergeant Joe Latham she began hoof camp. Her task was hauling loads of shells for the 1st Division's recoilless rifles, usually 6 strapped to her packsaddle or even 8 on some occasions. She also made stops to collect wounded soldiers, and even acted as a shield for fresh troops heading to the fight.
Reckless, by now promoted to Staff Sergeant, survived the Korean War and retired with full military honors. She lived out her golden years at the Camp Pendleton stables in Oceanside, CA, and while there she reared three foals: Fearless, Dauntless, and Chesty (after Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, one of the few men allowed to ride Reckless). A plaque stands at the Camp Pendleton stables in her honor, and the National Marine Corps Museum has a statue of her.
Awards:
Purple Heart with one star
Navy Presidential Unit Citation with one star
Navy Unit Commendation
Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal with 3 bronze stars
United Nations Korea Medal
French Fourragere
Reckless was posthumously given the Animals in War & Peace Medal of Bravery, the new American equivalent to the Dickin Medal
I came to the channel for the educational vids, but "Citation Needed" is what I look forward to.
This is *almost* RGS level screwery... also, my Grandpa served in Korea. He was a mechanic in the air force, so thank your for that shout out to the armed forces :]
That would be an awesome movie
She was bigger than a Winnebago, a Winnebago, but she looked like Vannah White after nine Coronas!
Always good to know there's people as old as me out there... I should go back and revisit the Dr. Demento rabbit hole.
I would love to see a movie version of this story. Plus, if you are looking for a place to do the show, why not try doing the show inside one of the grease?
@1:30 GET THE LIMES GET THE LIMES CHUNK THEM AT BRETT GET THE LIMES!
That chandelier is begging to be turned upside down and have a model train ride around it
The insane and funnier version of smokey and the bandit expect it's with steam locomotives and 3 times more beer.
Beeing slightly hammered after hard week of work. Typing with my drinking friend about some dude who get under train and bites police officers who tried to get him out (he was drugged and/or hammered with booze and caused delay of mine, and many other's trains). Listening to some train related sea shanties, and then watching this video. 100/10 best day of this month for sure! 🤣🤣🤣
Cheers!
@@Hyce777 Cheers from Poland to you guys! I'm going to visit and get on board trains in my first time ever seen narrow-gauge museum! Hope they have some steam choo-choos!
My thought the whole way through was that this would make a great Call of Duty esque indie game.
I was laughing my ass off the entire time, this was hilarious!
@Hyce!!! There needs to be a citation needed on the submarine that got credited for sinking a train!
I heard from a Amtrak employee that the talgo trainsets are going out of service on the cascades service in December of this year, only two trains still run with the sets, im pretty sure its 501 and 502 but i might be wrong
Re: the DSLR stopping filming: Unless you flash them with alternative firmware like Magic Lantern, they will only film for 29 minutes and 59 seconds. This to avoid having to pay extra fees as anything that films 30 minutes or more is classed a videocamera instead of a photocamera, and videocameras are taxed (or something with patents, or whatever, I don't know the specifics) differently.
I think the big reason for not 'bringing locomotives from home' is the time it would take for them to cross the Pacific on a ship. Plus some to get suitable locomotives on suitable ship ...
I'm gonna go to hollywood with this video as a pitch for the greatest movie ever made, this NEEDS to be a movie are you kidding.
Absolutely F***ing hilarious story!! This tops the RGS story lmfao
I really need this laugh. Thanks for that
19:31 "A brewery, what a glorious sight!" -The Seabees, Probably.
Limes but if it’s in a place where there’s fragile items they should have to eat a lime
that is a *GREAT IDEA* for next time.
I hope somebody will turn this story in to the movie.
I cant wait until someone sees this and is like, alright time for a movie
I agree with Leighton. It should become a movie.
A Top gear inspired intro in an American RUclips show, that’s something I don’t see everyday
Former army here. The navy us just uhaul and airforce is transpo
This story desperately needs to be a movie.
Don't stand between a Squid and their beer...
Not just the Seabees. We take our liberty SERIOUSLY!!!
I watched The Fat Electricians video on the Seabees stealing the beer train, hilarious
Hope you do a ww2 story were a japanese freight trains learns how to fly
Just saw you on the train magazine website, keep up the good content 👍
Which magazine?
@@bluescrew3124 Trains Magazine website. The article is called Steam's next young guns