Shipyard

John was convinced that the Department of Defense (DoD) made a critical mistake in its decision to include the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS) on the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) list. He worked tirelessly along side the “Save Our Shipyard” contingent, which consisted of the Yard’s workforce, town and state officials, and his Congressional colleagues from New Hampshire and Maine, to prove that keeping the Yard open was essential to both the Navy’s overall mission and our country’s national security.

The effort began before PNS was even placed on the closure list. In 2003, understanding that the Navy had a history of undervaluing the Yard’s vital contributions to our submarine force, the New Hampshire and Maine Congressional Delegations began preparing for the release of the BRAC list announcement in 2005. When it became official that DoD aimed to close Portsmouth, the group sprang into action. They stood firm in their demands for DoD to produce the facts on which decisions were based, continually pointed out flaws in the argument for closure, and compiled mountains of data to contradict DoD’s inaccurate findings. Senator Sununu and his colleagues were well prepared when it came time for them to present Portsmouth’s case before the BRAC Commission in Boston on July 6, 2005.

Thanks in large part to the incredible record of accomplishment turned in by the dedicated workers of the shipyard, on August 24, 2005, the BRAC Commission voted to remove PNS from DoD’s list of facilities slated for closure. In doing so, the BRAC Commission Chairman, Anthony Principi, labeled PNS “the gold standard by which we should measure shipyards.” Senator Sununu, clad in his yellow Save Our Shipyard shirt was proud to stand in the sea of yellow celebrating with the hard working men and women of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

Since the Commission handed down its decision, Senator Sununu has continued to work closely with the members of the New Hampshire and Maine Congressional delegations, the Navy, and the Department of Defense to ensure the best performing shipyard in the world continues to enjoy a robust workload for years to come. As a result, PNS enjoys a near record workload and has been tapped by the Navy to lead a highly skilled workforce located at Naval Submarine Base, Point Loma, San Diego. Most recently, John helped secure essential authorization for over $20 million in federal funding to modernize Dry Dock #3.

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