Naval Station Long Beach, located in Long Beach, California on Los Angeles Harbor, served as the United States Navy’s primary Pacific Fleet surface combatant homeport in Southern California from its WWII-era establishment through its closure in 1994 under the Base Realignment and Closure process. Naval Station Long Beach homeported Pacific Fleet cruisers, destroyers, and auxiliary vessels throughout the Cold War, and served as the homeport for the recommissioned Iowa class battleships USS New Jersey and USS Missouri during the Reagan-era battleship reactivation. Long Beach was also the site of one of the Navy’s major shipyard facilities — Long Beach Naval Shipyard — where Pacific Fleet vessel maintenance, repair, and overhaul was conducted throughout the Cold War. The station’s WWII-era pier facilities, maintenance buildings, barracks, and support infrastructure were constructed using WWII construction specifications incorporating asbestos-containing materials throughout. Cold War construction added additional facilities using the construction specifications of each period. Naval personnel homeported at Long Beach accumulated background asbestos exposure from the station’s facilities throughout their Long Beach duty assignments.

Long Beach’s pier facilities and ship maintenance infrastructure incorporated asbestos:

  • Surface combatant pier facilities — the pier facilities at Long Beach homeporting Pacific Fleet cruisers, destroyers, and frigates included pier support buildings and maintenance facilities constructed using WWII-era and Cold War military construction specifications incorporating asbestos-containing building materials. Sailors from homeported surface combatants working in pier-side maintenance at Long Beach accumulated background asbestos exposure from the pier facility construction
  • Battleship berth facilities — the battleship berth facilities at Long Beach accommodating USS New Jersey and USS Missouri during the 1980s recommissioning period included support infrastructure used for battleship maintenance operations. Personnel working in the Long Beach battleship support facilities accumulated background asbestos exposure from the pier facility construction materials
  • Ship repair and maintenance shops — the ship repair shops, machine shops, and maintenance support facilities associated with Long Beach Naval Shipyard operations were constructed using military industrial construction specifications incorporating asbestos-containing materials

Long Beach’s shore infrastructure incorporated asbestos throughout:

  • Barracks and residential facilities — the enlisted barracks and bachelor officers’ quarters at Naval Station Long Beach were constructed using WWII-era and Cold War military construction specifications incorporating asbestos-containing floor tile, ceiling materials, and pipe insulation
  • Administrative and support buildings — the administrative buildings, supply warehouses, and support facilities at Long Beach incorporated asbestos-containing construction materials consistent with the military construction specifications of their WWII-era and Cold War construction periods

VA Claims for Naval Station Long Beach Veterans

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure at naval shore installations. Navy personnel who served at Naval Station Long Beach and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.