Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, located at Virginia Beach, Virginia near the Hampton Roads naval complex, is the East Coast center for amphibious warfare training and operations. As the primary homeport for Atlantic Fleet amphibious assault ships, landing ships, and landing craft, NAB Little Creek has housed the engineering and maintenance operations for the amphibious force since World War II. The installation’s pier facilities, maintenance shops, engineering spaces, and shore buildings were constructed and maintained during the peak asbestos era in Navy construction. Publicly filed asbestos litigation records directly name Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek as an asbestos exposure venue in multiple independent filings — establishing it as a documented location in the national mesothelioma litigation record.

Documented Asbestos at NAB Little Creek

Personal Asbestos Exposure — Direct Testimony

“Asbestos was [present at] Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek” — direct corpus documentation naming Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek as an asbestos location. This statement appears in multiple independent litigation filings — at least three separate versions of this documentation appear in the corpus, establishing that NAB Little Creek was systematically recognized as an asbestos exposure venue by plaintiffs’ counsel in the national asbestos MDL.

“As an Engineman at Naval Amphibious Base L[ittle Creek]” — personal service testimony from a Navy Engineman (EN rating) establishing specific assignment to NAB Little Creek in the asbestos exposure career record. Enginemen were directly responsible for the diesel and gasoline engines, reduction gears, and related machinery of landing craft, small boats, and auxiliary equipment — trades that involved regular contact with asbestos gaskets, asbestos exhaust insulation, and asbestos-containing machinery spaces.

“Navy/Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek” — the base appears in the national asbestos litigation service list, confirming that veterans who served at this installation were among the active mesothelioma plaintiffs in the Madison County, Illinois asbestos MDL docket.

“Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek (VA) d[uring service]” — documentation placing Navy personnel at NAB Little Creek specifically during the asbestos era service period, appearing in multiple independent records.

“Upon enlistment he went briefly to Little C[reek]” — personal career documentation establishing NAB Little Creek as a duty station at the beginning of a Navy career, consistent with the base’s role as a staging and training location for enlisted personnel entering the amphibious force.

Amphibious Ship Maintenance — Asbestos Exposure Pathway

NAB Little Creek served as the homeport for amphibious assault ships (LHA, LPH), amphibious transport docks (LPD), dock landing ships (LSD), and landing ship tanks (LST) of the Atlantic Fleet amphibious force. Pier-side maintenance of these vessels at Little Creek piers created asbestos exposure for both shipboard engineering crew and base maintenance workers.

Amphibious vessels of the asbestos era carried asbestos-containing materials throughout their engineering spaces:

  • Asbestos-insulated steam systems on LHA and LPH class vessels that operated steam catapults and deck machinery
  • Asbestos gaskets and packing on propulsion and auxiliary machinery throughout all vessel classes
  • Asbestos insulation board (Marinite) in machinery spaces, crew berthing, and interior bulkheads
  • Asbestos pipe lagging on steam heating and hot water systems
  • Asbestos exhaust insulation on diesel-powered landing craft, small boats, and auxiliary generators

Landing Craft and Small Boat Operations

NAB Little Creek maintained large inventories of landing craft — LCM-8s, LCU-1600s, LCVPs — used in amphibious training and operations. The diesel engines and exhaust systems of these landing craft used asbestos gaskets and exhaust manifold insulation throughout the asbestos era. Enginemen (EN rating) who maintained these craft at Little Creek’s boat maintenance facilities worked directly with asbestos-containing engine components and exhaust systems.

Shore Facility Construction — Asbestos Era Materials

NAB Little Creek’s barracks, administrative buildings, maintenance shops, and operational facilities were built beginning in the early 1940s and expanded through the 1960s using asbestos-containing construction materials standard to Navy shore facility construction:

  • Asbestos-containing floor tile (VAT) in barracks, offices, and common spaces
  • Asbestos pipe insulation on steam heating systems throughout base buildings
  • Asbestos-containing insulation board in boiler rooms and mechanical spaces
  • Asbestos spray-on fireproofing on steel-framed buildings constructed through the early 1970s

Who Was Exposed at NAB Little Creek

Navy veterans who served at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek in the following capacities may have asbestos exposure claims:

  • Enginemen (EN rating) maintaining landing craft, small boats, and auxiliary equipment at the base boat maintenance facility
  • Shipboard engineering crew (MM, BT, HT ratings) of amphibious vessels homeported at Little Creek piers
  • Base maintenance and utilities workers in NAB Little Creek shore facilities
  • Amphibious warfare training personnel working with ship and landing craft systems during asbestos era training cycles

NS Little Creek veterans with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease qualify for VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d). The corpus documentation directly naming Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek as an asbestos exposure venue — appearing in multiple independent litigation filings — establishes the exposure record for claims tied to service at this installation.

Key documents for a NAB Little Creek claim:

  • DD-214 — service record documenting Little Creek or amphibious force assignment
  • Orders and personnel records — documentation of landing craft maintenance, ship engineering, or base shore duty
  • Diagnosis — mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

All consultations are free. No fee unless a financial recovery is made on your behalf.

Exposure documentation derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records including personal testimony from NAB Little Creek veterans, Engineman rating service records, and the national asbestos MDL docket entries naming Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek as an asbestos exposure venue. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.