CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -- SENATE
June 23, 1966
Page 14104
EXCLUSION OF PORTSMOUTH NAVAL SHIPYARD FROM MODERNIZATION PROGRAM
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at Kittery, Maine, has been excluded from a project by the Naval. Ship Systems Command to develop and engineer a long-range modernization program for all other Navy yards.
Portsmouth is the only east coast yard specializing in submarine overhauling and repairs. With Russia boasting a submarine fleet of 500, the decision to pass over Portsmouth is dangerous and shortsighted.
In a rapidly changing world, the decision threatens our national security. The Navy is gambling for short-range savings today on the hope of a peaceful future. Judging from recent developments in Vietnam and elsewhere, the Navy’s optimism appears excessive.
The decision apparently reflects an order, made by Defense Secretary McNamara 2 years ago, to close Portsmouth. Since then, the defense needs of our Nation have changed radically, and. Portsmouth is busier than ever. Yet, it appears the Navy is ignoring recent history as it makes plans for the modernization program.
On June 13, the Portland, Maine, Press Herald published an editorial entitled "Memo to McNamara: Keep Kittery Fighting Fit for Our Fleet." The editorial builds a solid argument for
including the Portsmouth yard in the modernization program.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the editorial appear in the REC ORD at this time.
There being no objection, the editorial was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows
[From the Portland (Maine) Press Herald, June 13, 1966]
MEMO TO MCNAMARA: KEEP KITTERY FIGHTING FIT FOR OUR FLEET.
Kittery Naval Shipyard has, in Navy lingo, been "passed over."
The Naval Ship Systems Command in the Pentagon has recently issued a contract to Kaiser Engineers, Oakland, California to "develop and engineer a long-range modernization program" for all existing yards -- except the Kittery Yard at Portsmouth.
Phase One of the contract, to be completed in 24 weeks, concentrates on the naval shipyards at . Philadelphia and Long Beach, California.
Phase Two will develop recommendations for modernizing the naval shipyards at Charleston, Norfolk, San Francisco Bay, Boston, Pearl Harbor and Puget Sound. But a spokesman for Kaiser, the contractor, reveals that the Kittery Yard is not included in this modernization program. He presumes this omission is because Kittery is scheduled to close down.
Months ago, Secretary McNamara ordered that the Kittery Yard be phased out and closed down by 1974. Then, the situation was far different.
Since then, Kittery has been hectically busy and very effectively productive in its national defense work.
Vice President HUBERT HUMPHREY, on a recent visit to the Kittery Yard, spoke in glowing terms of the vital work being done there. This newspaper will fight and plead and work for the future of Kittery just as long as Kittery continues to make a fine and vital contribution to American security.
American security is the sound reason on which. we base our fight.
Rightly, an effort to keep an unneeded and expensive facility for purely local economic reasons would not carry very much weight with McNamara. Nor would we advocate it.
But the most expensive mistake the Secretary and the Defense Department planners could make is to continue now with their earlier plan to close down Kittery by 1974. And consequently rule Kittery out from the Kaiser study.
To do so is to gamble recklessly with American security, with American lives and not just run the risk of incurring vast defense department expenditure later on to restore Kittery under emergency conditions to modern efficiency after they had phased it out.
Kittery is a specialist in nuclear submarine maintenance and repair.
The Soviet Union now has the world’s largest submarine fleet by far. It numbers close to 500, including nuclear and missile equipped submarines.
Sea blockade is, since Cuba, now in Vietnam and if ever the USA should become involved in war with China, an ever more important phase of our military strength.
Who can predict today how desperately the United States might need Kittery to support our fleet tomorrow?
The Pentagon timetable still assumes the close down of Kittery by 1974.
As a result the Pentagon contract to Kaiser does not include Kittery in the Naval Shipyards to even be studied for modernization.
This omission is a reckless, dangerous and costly gamble.
We strongly urge that Kittery be included in this study. If, in the years ahead, international, tension declines, it will easily be possible then to reassess the importance of Kittery. But we should not lower our guard now.
To omit Kittery now, when a small cost is involved, is to risk paying huge penalties later when far more than money may be at stake.
Secretary McNamara should immediately order that Kittery Naval Shipyard be included in the modernization study.