on routine ship duties that included almost all such functions. At times more Seabees were assigned such ship operation functions than the total regular crew. On 1 July 1944 the battalion, with the command already embarked in the ServRon 12 flagship William Ward Burrows, got a new Commanding Officer as Commander Fremont Elliott, USNR of the Civil Engineer Corps took command in a ceremony while in transit. The flagship was then heading to the Mariana Islands by way of Kwajalein and Enewetak to begin harbor clearance and development at Saipan. The flagship had arrived at Guam in the first days of August with the command and advance elements of NCB 301 to begin harbor clearance and development and await the arrival of City of Dalhart with other elements of the command. As facilities and offices of NCB 301 were completed and after a flag inspection personnel of the battalion moved aboard piecemeal with those having duties or new offices aboard having priority. The ship's facilities provided all the necessities for the battalion and ship's company as well as some luxuries not normally available to NCB personnel in forward areas. A large laundry facility, barber, cobbler and tailor shops, a ship's store, small library and large sick bay were available. With the ship's evaporators operating at capacity fresh water was nearly unlimited with restrictions only occasional. After arrival at the permanent forward base at Guam an ice cream and flake ice machine were installed. The integration, including mess facilities, of previously land based Construction Battalion into ship operations was a successful experiment. The battalion report for 1 June 1944 shows 14 officers and 736 men assigned to City of Dalhart as the battalion's 2nd Detachment embarked to join ServRon 12 in its area of operations. The 1st Detachment was at Midway Island operating a dredge there. The 3rd Detachment remained at Iroquois Point, Hawaii for transshipment of equipment and battalion support. Other detachments were assigned to dredges and to the Auxiliary Repair Docks ARD-16 and already in operation. After several tentative movement orders City of Dalhart departed Pearl Harbor 16 July 1944 with men and additional equipment of NCB 301 aboard. The ship was held at Eniwetok from 3 August to 5 August awaiting the end of major Japanese resistance on Guam. City of Dalhart, leading a convoy of LSTs and service craft, arrived at Guam anchoring over the night of