Even with the decision due, the Navy has yet to commit to a specific number of submarines it intends to retain in its new, more mobile military. It is obvious the number of subs anticipated has a direct bearing on the number of shipyards that do overhauls and repairs - the principal work at the Portsmouth yard - and without that information, the commission is largely working in the dark.

And virtually everyone involved in the BRAC process, including the Government Accountability Office, the auditing arm of Congress, believes the amount of money expected to be saved by the closure of Portsmouth and the other 32 military bases on the Pentagon’s list has been overstated by at least 50 percent.

We will all see later today, or at the latest Thursday, whether these nine commissioners are as independent as we have been led to believe, or whether they will go along with the specious arguments put forth by the Pentagon and Navy officials. We certainly hope it is the former.

One thing has to be said for this process. Everything that shipyard supporters could have done to bring issues before the commission has been done. No one - not the Maine and New Hampshire congressional delegations, not Govs. John Lynch of New Hampshire and John Baldacci of Maine, not the local chambers of commerce, not the Save Our Shipyard task force, not the shipyard unions, not the workers and not the thousands of community supporters - could have done more to make the strongest case possible for keeping the yard open than they did.

Whatever the decision, no one will wake up tomorrow and say to themselves: "I should have done more." There is nothing more that could have been done, and the memory of those yellow T-shirts filling the conference center in Boston and the streets of Kittery will be indelibly etched in the memories of all who have been involved in this struggle.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the tens of thousands of men and women who have worked at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard over the centuries. Patriots are not only found on the battlefield. They also can be seen working at drill presses and lathes, repairing battle-worn steel and loading nuclear fuel.

Win or lose, all those who have had a hand in maintaining the military readiness that has made America the last great superpower of the modern era deserve our respect and our thanks.

We hope they remain part of our community for a long time to come, but if that is not to be the case, we are proud to number them among our friends and relatives, and wish them all well in their future endeavors.

- Portsmouth Herald

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