Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, located on the Silver Strand south of Coronado across San Diego Bay from the city of San Diego, is the Pacific Fleet’s primary amphibious training and operations base. The base is home to Naval Special Warfare Command (SEAL Teams 1, 3, 5, and 7), amphibious warfare training commands, and serves as a homeport for Pacific Fleet amphibious vessels including LHA, LHD, LPD, and LSD class ships. NAB Coronado was established during World War II and its core building infrastructure dates to the WWII and postwar period.

WWII-Era Building Infrastructure and Asbestos

NAB Coronado was established in 1944 as an amphibious training center during WWII, and its building complex includes extensive WWII-era construction:

  • WWII-era barracks and training buildings built in 1944-1945 using asbestos-containing materials throughout their construction — asbestos floor tile, asbestos-containing ceiling materials, and asbestos in building mechanical systems
  • Base steam heating and utility systems serving older Coronado buildings using asbestos-insulated pipe in the base heating distribution system
  • Training facility buildings — the amphibious training classrooms, boat maintenance facilities, and naval special warfare support buildings used asbestos-containing construction materials in WWII-era and postwar construction

Amphibious Ship Asbestos Exposure

Pacific Fleet amphibious ships homeported at NAB Coronado’s pier facilities — Tarawa class LHAs, Wasp class LHDs, Austin class LPDs, and Whidbey Island class LSDs — were vessels with asbestos-containing construction in their engineering spaces and interiors. Crew members serving aboard these ships accumulated asbestos exposure from the ship’s interior throughout their shipboard tours.

SEAL and NSW Training Environment

Naval Special Warfare personnel at NAB Coronado who underwent BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) training and subsequent NSW training lived in the WWII-era barracks complex at the Silver Strand training site during their training cycles — accumulating asbestos exposure from the older building infrastructure during extended training periods.

Boat Maintenance Facilities

Landing craft and SEAL delivery vehicle (SDV) maintenance at NAB Coronado involved diesel engine maintenance on LCM and LCU landing craft with asbestos-containing diesel engine gaskets, serviced by Enginemen and Boatswain’s Mates at the base boat maintenance shops.

VA Claims for NAB Coronado Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure at Navy installations. Veterans who served at NAB Coronado in older WWII-era buildings or aboard amphibious ships homeported at the base before the mid-1980s and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.