In this 2005 file photo, John Joyal, then a welding training instructor at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for 29 years, waves the American flag in victory after the Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted 7 to 1 to keep the shipyard off the closure list. Rich Beauchesne photo

Paul O’Connor remembers where he was May 13, 2005.

It was Friday the 13th, and he along with 2,000 other Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employees were on the grassy knoll in the center of the base. The shipyard, a standard setter up to that point, was placed on the Base Realignment and Closure list, also referred to as the BRAC list. It’s a potential death sentence for any base, and the fallout of a closure to surrounding communities is extraordinary.

To view the rest of this lengthy story, visit this link at the Portsmouth herald.