Modest Gulfport Seabee Atlantic's Sea Sailor of Year

GULFPORT -- Gulfport Seabee Michael M. Steffey has been named the No. 1 sea sailor on the Atlantic this year, besting thousands of others.

A construction mechanic with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1, Steffey was named what is officially called the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Sea Sailor of the Year.

Cmdr. Kemit Spears, the battalion's commanding officer, said, "We have a lot of great sailors, but when we need a leader, it's his leadership that has made the sailors successful."

Spears described Steffey's leadership as "selfless," saying he puts those under his command first.

Steffey is modest. He donned his dress blues to be recognized Tuesday by the Gulfport City Council, but did so reluctantly, said Command Master Chief Michael Lopez.

"He's very humble," Lopez said. "He doesn't like the limelight. He just wants to do his job. That's refreshing."

Steffey's battalion specializes in contingency construction, disaster response, and humanitarian assistance. He was deployed to assist for hurricanes Rita and Katrina.

Steffey has been deployed once to Iraq and twice to Bahrain. He down played his role in Bahrain this past year after Mayor Billy Hewes asked him to tell the council and audience about his award.

"All I did was help guide my troops," Steffey said, "and they did all the work."

Steffey was the leading petty officer on a number of tasks this past year. Most notably, he supervised off-loading of equipment from the USNS Lopez. The equipment and gear were loaded onto barges that delivered it to shore five nautical miles away. The exercise took three days. The training assures Seabees are prepared to equip pre-positioned forces.

The Seabees also set up a camp prior to the ship's arrival. Steffey also won the recognition for other tasks he led this past year.

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Modest Gulfport Seabee Atlantic's Sea Sailor of Year ."