Kittery shipyard named as sub's homeport
A nuclear submarine that will arrive next year at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for maintenance work is expected to stabilize the shipyard and protect it from threats of closure.
The Navy decided last Friday to bring the USS Virginia, a modern and innovative submarine, to Kittery next October for repair work through 2012, according to the Associated Press. The submarine, which has a 155-person crew that will be permanently stationed in the area, will boost the Portsmouth, N.H., and York economy by $10.5 million, the AP said.
The Navy in 2008 signed a $14 billion contract to build two of the Virginia-class subs in 2009 and 2010, and six more in the following three years, Foster's Daily Democrat reported. Paul O'Connor, president of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Metal Trades Council, told the paper that the shipyard becoming homeport for the sub should guarantee it a greater stake in the Navy's future plans.
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