Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme, located in the city of Port Hueneme in Ventura County, California approximately 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles, is the Pacific Fleet’s primary Seabee (Naval Mobile Construction Battalion) homeport and the center of Naval Construction Force training and logistics support. NCBC Port Hueneme was established in 1942 as the primary embarkation and training center for WWII-era Seabee units and has served continuously as the Seabee homeport for Pacific Fleet NMCBs since WWII. The center’s WWII-era building infrastructure and its role as a training and equipment storage facility created asbestos exposure pathways for Seabee personnel.

WWII-Era Building Infrastructure

NCBC Port Hueneme was established in 1942 and the center’s building complex reflects WWII military construction:

  • WWII-era barracks and training buildings — the Seabee barracks and training buildings at NCBC Port Hueneme built in 1942-1944 used asbestos-containing construction materials throughout — asbestos floor tile, ceiling tile, and asbestos in the building mechanical system insulation serving the WWII-era barracks and training facility construction
  • Construction equipment maintenance shops — the heavy construction equipment maintenance shops at NCBC Port Hueneme built during the WWII period used older industrial building construction with asbestos in building mechanical systems and in the shop building structure
  • Base steam heating and utility systems — the base steam heating distribution serving older Port Hueneme buildings used asbestos-insulated pipe in the base heating plant distribution

Seabee Construction Equipment and Materials

Seabees training and staging at NCBC Port Hueneme worked with military construction equipment and materials:

  • Construction equipment maintenance — heavy construction equipment (bulldozers, graders, cranes) maintained at NCBC Port Hueneme by Construction Mechanic (CM) and other Seabee ratings used asbestos-containing gaskets in diesel engine maintenance and in associated construction equipment systems
  • Asbestos construction materials storage — NCBC Port Hueneme maintained stocks of construction materials for Seabee battalion deployment, with asbestos-containing building materials (floor tile, pipe insulation, roofing materials) stored and issued to deploying NMCBs in the period before the asbestos phase-down in military construction materials

VA Claims for NCBC Port Hueneme Veterans

VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims on a case-by-case basis. Veterans generally need evidence of in-service asbestos exposure, a current asbestos-related diagnosis, and a medical link between them. Seabee personnel who served at NCBC Port Hueneme in WWII-era buildings or in construction equipment maintenance facilities and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.