Vigil at BIW continues at Navy compound gate

Dan Ellis (right from Brunswick) and Peter Morgan (from Raymond) hold the new banner answering the question 'Where do these destroyers go when the leave Bath?'

 

Ridgeley Fuller (Belfast) joined us as well

 

 

George Goodwin (Boothbay) and Bill Rixon (Freeport)

 

Bruce Gagnon from Bath

 

We had seven people (five members of Veterans For Peace) at Bath Iron Works (BIW) today during our lunch hour vigil. We've been doing these twice-a-month since May as a warm-up for the next 'christening' of a Navy Aegis destroyer. It is expected that there will be another such ceremony sometime soon. Six destroyers are currently under construction at BIW (which is owned by General Dynamics Corp).

One highlight of the day was a carload of three elderly woman stopping dead in the street right next to me and asking what we were doing. Traffic at that moment got a bit backed up and I told her we were from VFP and handed them two of our flyers. One of flyers calls for the conversion of BIW and the other spells out the massive carbon bootprint of the Pentagon that helps to exacerbate our current climate crisis. One of the women exclaimed, 'This is great!'

After each vigil we go to a local restaurant and have lunch together. A few of us had not seen each other in quite a while due to the virus lockdown.

Some of the shipyard workers, as well as the Navy personnel working at the yard, have become quite familiar to me as I stand in the same place each time and hand out flyers. A couple of them are a bit hard-hearted and unfriendly but in fact most of those passing by are quite friendly and respectful. A few actually stop and chat which is nice. I am more than convinced that our messages are seeping into their souls.

We had many more car honks today than ever before. One of the guys suggested that it was due to there being more of us vigiling than usual. It is always quite interesting to get honks just as a bunch of workers or sailors walk by. I can say with confidence they notice.

Our goal is to prepare the sailors for the protests they will see when the destroyers leave Bath and head overseas where, in the main, they are not wanted by people living in those nations. People understand that the US provocative deployments of these warships is an obvious trigger for possible war with China and/or Russia. People living in those places would be prime targets.

Thanks to Eric Herter (Brunswick) for taking the photos.

Bruce