End of an era: Last planes leave Brunswick Naval Air Station as Maine base readies for closing
By APSaturday, November 28, 2009
Last planes leave closing Navy base in Maine
BRUNSWICK, Maine — The two last planes at Maine’s Brunswick Naval Air Station have lifted off in blustery winds, ending nearly 60 years of maritime patrol operations at New England’s last active-duty military air base.
The P-3 Orions lumbered down an 8,000-foot runway Saturday afternoon before heading off toward a six-month deployment in Central America. After that, they fly to their new home at Florida’s Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
Brunswick was once home to 4,000 sailors and six patrol squadrons, but now has a skeleton crew. Its two runways are scheduled to close in January and personnel will continue to leave the base until it closes for good in May 2011.
The decision to shutter the base was made in the final round of closings by the Base Closure and Realignment Commission in 2005.
