Posted on 11/28/2009 10:06:53 PM PST by george76
End of an era: Aircraft depart Brunswick Naval Air Station as Maine base readies for closing.
The two last planes at Maine's Brunswick Naval Air Station lifted off Saturday 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 of the VP-26 squadron lumbered down an 8,000-foot runway before heading off to a six-month deployment in Central America. After that, they fly to their new home at Florida's Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
The planes took off without any speeches or fanfare ...
Brunswick, once home to 4,000 sailors and six patrol squadrons, 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 P-3 Orions, which went into operation in the 1960s, tracked Soviet submarines in the Atlantic Ocean during the Cold War. More recently, the planes have been used on drug interdiction missions and in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Sure what you say is all true...but you forget the Mainers who hound recruiters out of our schools, the hundreds of aging hippies who protest at BIW at every ship launch..the anti-war protests that continue to this day in Portland, Brunswick, Damriscotta...my statement wasn’t flippant at all..it was coming from someone who’s lived in Maine a hell of alot longer than you
Don’t worry, the Navy’s entire carrier fleet is based in Norfolk, Va. Talk about putting all the eggs in one basket.
Us folks in Jacksonville would like to have one carrier based at our city. Probably be a good idea to have more then one place for the carriers to call home in case Norfolk goes boom.
And prior, P2V Neptunes (many variants now largely forgotten, from late 1940s to mid-late 1970s).
I’ve been in Maine for nearly 20 years and while there are small numbers of moonbat anti-war protestors here and there, the overwhelming majority of Mainers are flag wavers and VERY supportive of the military. The impressions you have of Maine and it’s patriotism and support for the military are true.
Whenever a service member from Maine is killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, or even in a stateside training accident, the local media reports the story in depth and with respect. The governor order all flags flown at half-mast, and many politicians attend the funeral of the service member.
Maine also has a huge amount of retired military veterans, and per capita Maine has either the largest or one of the largest amounts of National Guard troops deployed overseas.
I’ve seen many guys wearing baseball caps that say, “World War II Vet,” or “Korean War Vet,” or “Vietnam Vet,” etc.
The troop greeter phenomenon at Bangor International Airport was recently made into a documentary and is very moving. I also remember the pre-TSA days, when our troops were returning from the Gulf War in 1991. Back then, everyone and his brother showed up at the terminal at Bangor International to welcome home the troops....the crowds of Mainers cheering the troops as they deplaned were massive.
Thank-you for posting.
I was born and raised in Maine. This would be news to me ~ I don't believe it for a second. Maine may be a blue state, I agree, but I believe this is your opinion, not a statement of fact.
P-8 being one of them...
Brunswick a ghost town now... big loss for the local area.
We’re Lovin’ Eleven, we fly P2V’s...
Over the Ocean and over the Seas...
Avoiding the Wave-Top’s and Social Disease...
We’re Lovin’ Eleven, we fly P2V’s
CAC 2, VP-11, NAS Brunswick, ME
‘64 - ‘66
AE2 at that time
was Maine an American basket?
Euro wannabes don’t qualify anymore
VP-11 1976-1980 we flew P-3B’s
Of course it’s my opinion...everything on here is opinions...great insight...if you think Maine is pro-military you’re smoking something
Just like the rest of the Mil.
Mil spending: at something like 4.5% of GDP, all the services are hurting. But then a strong Mil has not been a priority for decades, since there are all those legions on homeless, starving children, and healthcare deficient to take care of first - not to mention enormous financial contributions to various unions and government workers who can use some of their new found wealth to keep financing more spending on politicians who will continue to seek out new ways to help the legions above.
Sheeh, with all those millions and millions of long suffering folk to take care of, how can any one afford more than a token military? “Two chickens in every pot and two soldiers in every State” our new national motto.
Is the spook base at Winter Harbor, ME still in operation?
I lived in Maine for about 30 years. Maine is not anti-military. I can only guess that you lived near the base? My daughter was also just stationed there and says that, yes, there is some anti-military feeling near Bath/Brunswick. There are bad feelings about the military and military personnel near any base. To label the whole state as anti-military because of your limited exposure to Mainiacs from '76-'84 and '89-'90 is just biased.
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Spot on.
I am also a Maine_iac ;o) born n'bred...
If someone wants to opine based on maybe Portland, which is made up mostly of flatlanders and rabid liberals - then yes.
But if you get away from the cities (of which there aren't many big enough to qualify as 'cities'), then you'd best not be accusing us of being anti-military.
If people have noticed, the liberal/dictator wannabes cling to city life. They'd be scared to death to live in the country where they'd have to be an 'individual' and think for themselves. They are a group-think, herd instinct animal.
Stopped there on the way back from Iraq a few years ago.
We were met by WWII veterans at 2:00 A.M.!
Brought a tear to my eye.
I think I know what you’re talking about, but I can’t find any evidence that it existed other than as a naval base. I believe we had one comm NCO transfer there shortly before Loring AFB closed. IIRC, there was a back scatter radar site there.
End of an era: Aircraft depart Brunswick Naval Air Station as Maine base readies for closing.
>Wrong. Its Naval Air Station Brunswick, you twits.
The P-3 Orions of the VP-26 squadron lumbered down an 8,000-foot runway before heading off to a six-month deployment in Central America. After that, they fly to their new home at Florida's Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
>P-3s do not lumber. With 18,000 HP you do not "lumber." And it's Naval Air Station Jacksonville, you morons.
The P-3 Orions, which went into operation in the 1960s, tracked Soviet submarines in the Atlantic Ocean during the Cold War. More recently, the planes have been used on drug interdiction missions and in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
>P-3s went into service tracking not just Soviet subs in the Atlantic but Soviet and Chinese subs in the Pacific, as well as infiltrator arms ships trying to sneak weapons to the Chinese Army and the Cong in Vietnam. Plus watching all world shipping for 40 years. Trust me.
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