BRUNSWICK, Maine (AP) — The rumble of Navy patrol aircraft overhead will soon be a thing of the past as the remaining P-3 Orions depart from Brunswick Naval Air Station in Maine.
Air crews are prepping to ship out for a six-month deployment to El Salvador, Italy and the Horn of Africa. After that, they'll rejoin the rest of Brunswick aircraft that have relocated to Florida's Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
The final wave of departures begins Sunday from the base 20 miles northeast of Portland. Brunswick NAS, which closes for good by May 2011, is the last active-duty military air base in New England.
Once there were 4,000 sailors at the facility that dates back to World War II. Only a skeleton crew will remain after these planes and their 350 personnel leave.
