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Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek is the most important military installation the Amphibious Forces in the Atlantic Fleet can rely on. The base is under the jurisdiction of the United States Navy and covers four different locations, spread over three different states. Altogether, they count almost 50 square kilometers. The Little Creek installation covers almost 10 square kilometers and is located in the eastern side of Virginia, in Virginia Beach. The base is home for around 15,000 individuals. Most of them are civilian families of the military troops, but the site also hosts civilian workers and independent contractors. There are almost 30 ships hosted on site too, not to mention about close to 80 different services and centers. The installation is unique in the United States Navy and not just by its build and importance, but also by its strict orientation towards the amphibious missions. NAB Little Creek is currently the widest facility of its kind in the whole world. The base is now part of a larger installation – Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek – Fort Story. The merge was finished in the autumn of 2009 and took a couple of years to complete.
History
The beginnings of NAB Little Creek date back to World War II, when more and more trucks carrying raw materials showed up around the wide bean fields belonging to the local Whitehurst family. Four different bases were raised in this area. Two of them were named after the land owners, before the authorities took them over – Camp Shelton and Camp Bradford. The third base was the Frontier Base of the United States Navy, while the amphibious training site turned out to be the fourth one.
During the first years, this place was nothing like a base. It was mostly a combination of a dirty swamp and some technological attempts of the authorities. However, as time passed by, the amphibious training range became the most important one in the country. It was the main center for all these operations and supported training sessions for a lot of different troops, including the LCI, LSM, LCVP, LCU and LCM professionals. The four bases were part of the American process to increase the military power of the country around World War II. As soon as it reached to an end, they were disestablished, along with dozens of other names.
The importance of NAB Little Creek was not ignored by the authorities. The location was excellent, on the central coast. The great weather conditions and the immediate proximity to the US Navy base in Norfolk convinced the officials to reactivate the base. It was reestablished by the end of 1945 and set up as a permanent installation in 1946.
NAB Little Creek grew to become one of the most modern and advanced facilities in the United States Navy. Today, it is not open to the US Navy troops only, but to all the armed forces of the country. Besides, the international students coming from allied countries are just as welcome.
