Fleet Training Group Guantanamo Bay (FTG GTMO), headquartered at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, served as the primary operational readiness training command for US Navy surface ships from the World War II era through the Cold War. Surface warfare ships, anti-submarine vessels, and support craft visited Guantanamo Bay to complete fleet readiness assessments — the “ORE” (Operational Readiness Examination) — before deployment.
Training Vessels and Asbestos Exposure
Deposition testimony in asbestos cases describes instructors and students going to sea on MSOs (minesweepers, ocean) and MSCs (minesweepers, coastal) stationed at Guantanamo for training purposes. These vessels — typically 1940s and 1950s-construction ships — had steam plants or diesel engineering systems insulated with asbestos pipe lagging, refractory, and packing materials standard in Navy construction of their era.
An instructor or student taking a class to sea “for a day or two at a time” on these training vessels was exposed to the same asbestos-containing materials as crew members permanently assigned. Engineering spaces, boiler rooms, and machinery compartments on MSOs and similar training vessels built before 1960 contained extensive asbestos insulation installed under BUSHIPS specifications.
Fleet readiness scores at FTG GTMO were a benchmark for unit performance. Publicly filed records reference individual ships achieving high ORE scores at “FTG GTMO” — including missile ships completing assessments. This documentation establishes the operational tempo of GTMO training activities and the range of vessel types present at the facility.
USS Wasp (CVS-18) and GTMO Operations
Records of USS Wasp (CVS-18) describe fleet training operations at Guantanamo Bay during the ship’s active service period. Wasp’s conversion to anti-submarine warfare configuration and subsequent fleet training at GTMO reflects the typical pattern: major fleet units completed their basic phase training at Guantanamo before operational deployment. Personnel who served aboard vessels during their GTMO training cycles were in engineering spaces and machinery compartments with full asbestos insulation loads.
Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Shore Facilities
Beyond the training mission, Naval Station Guantanamo Bay maintained shore infrastructure — barracks, maintenance shops, boat repair facilities, and administrative buildings — constructed primarily in the postwar period using standard Navy construction materials including asbestos insulation, floor tile, and pipe lagging.
Shore-duty personnel assigned to FTG GTMO itself, Naval Station Guantanamo Bay commands, or the various shore support operations were present in base facilities with asbestos-containing building materials throughout the installation’s active period.
VA Claims for GTMO Service
VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers exposure at overseas Navy installations. Veterans who served at Guantanamo Bay in either shore-duty or afloat training capacities before 1980 and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits. DD-214 records listing Guantanamo Bay, FTG GTMO, or Naval Station Guantanamo as a duty station establish the assignment.