Seabees Connect to Past During Exercise Baltic Operations 26

Before Camp Turtle, Latvia, was a location, it was a mission. 

U.S. Navy construction personnel, also known as Seabees, arrived in Liepāja, Latvia, this month with equipment, tools and a familiar purpose: build what the force needs, where the force needs it. 

These sailors established expeditionary infrastructure in support of Exercise Baltic Operations 2026, helping stage, coordinate, sustain and support operations in one of Europe’s most strategically significant maritime regions. 

Camp Turtle is a working site for the Seabees. Planning, logistics, labor and practical skill turn limited infrastructure into operational capability. Tents, tools, equipment and coordination spaces are part of the visible work. The larger mission is less visible but just as important: enabling naval forces to operate forward, remain flexible and support allied objectives across the Baltic Sea region. 

“Camp Turtle represents what Seabees are built to do: arrive with a mission, assess what is needed, and turn a piece of ground into a place that supports the force,” said Navy Lt. Thomas McDowell, 22nd Naval Construction Regiment operations officer. “Every part of the site contributes to readiness and helps enable the larger BALTOPS mission.”

The name also carries meaning beyond the work taking place at the site. 

Camp Turtle draws from a local connection to U.S. naval history in the Baltic Sea. It honors the PB4Y-2 Privateer Turbulent Turtle, a U.S. Navy aircraft assigned to Patrol Squadron 26 that was lost over the Baltic Sea near Liepāja April 8, 1950. The aircraft and its crew became part of the early Cold War history tied to the waters off this Latvian port city. 

“The name connects today’s work with the sailors who served in this region before us,” McDowell said. “It reminds us that readiness is not only about what we build today but also about the legacy we carry forward.”

Today, sailors are operating in Liepāja alongside allies and partners during BALTOPS 2026. The long-running maritime exercise strengthens allied readiness, interoperability and security throughout the region. 

Camp Turtle reflects naval heritage in action, connecting remembrance of past service with the readiness required for today’s mission. 

During BALTOPS 2026, construction extends naval reach ashore. This infrastructure helps create the conditions for forces to operate, coordinate and sustain themselves beyond established facilities. 

The name Camp Turtle connects the site to a chapter of naval history rooted in the Baltic Sea. The work taking place there during the exercise carries that connection forward, linking remembrance with the practical demands of readiness.