Naval Station Port Lyautey — located at the Moroccan city of Kenitra (formerly Port Lyautey) on the Atlantic coast of Morocco — was established following the November 1942 Operation TORCH North African invasion and developed into a major Cold War naval facility supporting Mediterranean Fleet and Atlantic Fleet patrol operations from the North African coast. The station hosted Navy patrol aviation squadrons, a major Cold War communications relay facility, and served as a logistics hub for Mediterranean operations throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s until transfer to Morocco in 1978. WWII-era and Cold War construction at Port Lyautey used asbestos-containing building materials consistent with military construction specifications of the period. Navy and Marine Corps personnel stationed at Port Lyautey accumulated asbestos exposure from the facility construction stock during this overseas assignment.

WWII and Cold War Facility Construction and Asbestos

Port Lyautey’s facility stock incorporated asbestos throughout:

  • Aviation hangar and maintenance buildings — the patrol aviation hangars and maintenance facilities at Port Lyautey used WWII-era and Cold War military construction with asbestos-containing roofing, asbestos insulation in hangar building construction, and asbestos floor and ceiling materials in the aviation support buildings. Patrol aviation personnel performing aircraft maintenance and operations at Port Lyautey worked in these asbestos-containing aviation maintenance facilities throughout their overseas assignments
  • Communications facility construction — the Cold War communications relay facility buildings at Port Lyautey used military construction with asbestos-containing materials in the facility building stock, with communications ratings and staff working in the asbestos-containing communications facility structures
  • Barracks and administrative buildings — the enlisted barracks, BOQ, and administrative buildings at Port Lyautey used military construction with asbestos floor tile, asbestos ceiling products, and asbestos-containing pipe insulation in the residential and administrative facility mechanical systems

Patrol Aviation Operations from Morocco

Port Lyautey’s role as a patrol aviation base created specific asbestos exposure:

  • P2V Neptune and P-3 Orion patrol facilities — the patrol aviation maintenance hangars and readiness facilities at Port Lyautey supporting P2V Neptune and P-3 Orion ASW patrol aircraft operations used military construction with asbestos-containing materials in the aviation support building stock

VA Claims for Naval Station Port Lyautey 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. Navy and Marine Corps personnel who served at Naval Station Port Lyautey during any period from the station’s WWII establishment through its 1978 transfer and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.