Naval Station Long Beach

Naval Station Long Beach
Camera Operator: PH2 R.J. DAVIS · Public domain · source
Name	Naval Station Long Beach
Type	Naval base
Used	1941–1997
Controlledby	United States Navy
Location	Long Beach, California

Naval Station Long Beach was a United States Navy installation on the Pacific Ocean coast in Long Beach, California active from 1941 to 1997. The station supported naval operations during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War, operating alongside nearby ports and industrial complexes such as the Port of Long Beach and the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. It hosted surface combatants, amphibious units, aviation detachments, and logistics elements associated with the Pacific Fleet, contributing to regional power projection and homeporting of multiple classes of warships.

History

The site originated as part of prewar harbor developments tied to the Port of Los Angeles expansion and the Long Beach Harbor improvements in the 1930s. Construction accelerated following the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entry into World War II, when the Navy established shore facilities to support the United States Pacific Fleet and coastal antisubmarine efforts. During the postwar drawdown, the station adapted to Cold War missions linked to the Naval Air Station North Island logistic network and the strategic posture articulated in the Truman Doctrine era. The facility's role evolved through the Korean War mobilization, the Vietnam War ship deployments from the Seventh Fleet, and the modernization drives of the Navy's 600-ship Navy concept debated in the Reagan administration. High-profile visits and port calls included ships from the USS Missouri (BB-63) lineage and various guided missile cruiser and destroyer classes. By the 1990s, post–Cold War force restructuring influenced the Base Realignment and Closure Commission deliberations that ultimately led toward closure.

Facilities and Infrastructure

The station encompassed piers, berthing spaces, maintenance yards, fuel piers, ammunition handling areas, and support buildings integrated with the adjacent Long Beach Naval Shipyard and commercial terminals of the Port of Long Beach. Pier facilities accommodated destroyer escorts, guided missile cruisers, amphibious assault ships and smaller auxiliaries, while nearby drydocks at the shipyard serviced aircraft carrier hulls and submarine support gear. On-base infrastructure included housing units, commissaries, exchange facilities, medical clinics associated with Naval Hospital networks, and training centers tied to personnel assigned from commands such as the Navy Personnel Command and the Naval Education and Training Command. Intermodal connections linked the station to the Pacific Electric Railway corridors, the Interstate 710, and the California State Route 1 approaches serving the Los Angeles County metropolitan area.

Operations and Units

Naval Station Long Beach served as a homeport and logistics hub for units ranging from patrol craft and mine warfare squadrons to amphibious squadrons attached to Pacific Fleet amphibious ready groups. The facility supported Fleet Logistics Support Squadron detachments, transient squadrons deploying on prepositioning ships and auxiliaries attached to the Military Sealift Command. Surface combatant visits included vessels of the Ticonderoga-class cruiser and Arleigh Burke-class destroyer lineages, while earlier eras saw Gearing-class destroyer and Fletcher-class destroyer units. The station hosted administrative elements of the Naval District command structure, liaison teams working with the United States Coast Guard districts, and joint operations alongside United States Marine Corps amphibious units staged for deployments reflecting doctrines from Amphibious Ready Group concepts and Naval Expeditionary operations. Training and reserve components included units linked to the Naval Reserve and coordination with civilian labor represented by the Longshoremen unions.

Decommissioning and Redevelopment

Following post–Cold War force reductions and recommendations from the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (1993) and subsequent rounds, the Navy announced realignments that culminated in the station's phased closure in the 1990s. The decommissioning process coordinated transfers of piers and property to local authorities including the City of Long Beach and redevelopment agencies, while portions were repurposed for commercial shipping, marinas, and mixed-use waterfront projects linked to the Port of Long Beach expansion. Redevelopment proposals involved stakeholders such as the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency, private developers with ties to the Real Estate Investment Trust community, and environmental regulators including the California Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Adaptive reuse initiatives integrated historic preservation concerns raised by advocates referencing naval heritage preserved in museums like the USS Iowa (BB-61) museum concept and waterfront cultural projects supported by the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center planning efforts.

Environmental Issues and Cleanup

Environmental legacy issues at the station involved contamination typical of naval shipyard and base operations: petroleum hydrocarbon releases, heavy metals such as lead and mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls associated with electrical equipment, and antifouling biocides in sediment near berths. Cleanup and remediation efforts engaged the Environmental Protection Agency regulatory frameworks, state oversight from the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, and federal programs under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and the Defense Environmental Restoration Program. Remediation approaches combined soil removal, dredging consented with the Army Corps of Engineers permitting, in-situ treatment systems, and long-term monitoring coordinated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for marine habitat recovery. Public concerns involved fisheries and nearshore ecosystems under the jurisdiction of the California Fish and Game Commission and local advocacy from organizations such as the Surfrider Foundation. Ongoing redevelopment incorporated brownfield funding mechanisms and community-driven remediation milestones overseen by municipal planning boards and regional transit authorities.

Category:Closed installations of the United States Navy Category:Military installations in California