'Uptick' in vandalism at Brunswick Navy plane memorial

Next up in 5

Example video title will go here for this video

BRUNSWICK, Maine — Caretakers say there's been a steady increase in vandalism at a prominent military monument.

The Brunswick Naval Air Station has been closed since 2011, but many in town remain proud of the history there, including a four-propeller P3 Orion plane memorial.

John Briley is the executive director of the Brunswick Naval Aviation Museum. He described the P3 as "the workhorse of the base." The last active P3 left the base in 2009, but one remains intact in a park near the museum.

People have been stealing parts, Briley said, though the plane was mostly stripped when it left service. When they don't steal, he said, they pry open hatches.

"I think, only within the last two or three years, have we seen an uptick," Briley explained.

He is surprised at the continued attempts to break into spaces in the plane despite it being little more than a shell now. There is no flashy equipment readily available to be grabbed. One of the most recent failed attempts at theft was a red light, broken in the process. Briley brought it to his office.

"It's not something you come in and swipe and leave," he said. "It takes real effort to get some of this stuff off. It's really unfortunate."

The disturbances are especially unfortunate for Briley and local veterans, because that particular plane means much more to them than the machine itself.

The P3 was painted with imagery and tail numbers to match a doomed P3 that took off from Brunswick and crashed in Poland Spring in 1978, killing eight on board.

Kevin Cahill spent 26 years in the US Navy, all active duty, and all in P3s as an air crewman.

Cahill now volunteers at the museum and checks on the plane often. His watch is about to become more frequent.

It's gotten so bad, he said, thieves seem to take whatever they can get their hands on. He showed us the tiny yellow tire valve caps that secure to each wheel. He said someone previously stole each one from the plane, so he found replacements and screwed them on with super glue inside.

The incidents have ramped up recently, according to Briley and Cahill.

Between Monday night, when NEWS CENTER Maine set up the meeting with the two men, to Tuesday morning when we met them, Cahill said someone had forced open another hatch. He promptly forced it shut and stripped the heads of the screws.

In addition to disturbing the memory of the servicemen lost on the 1978 flight, Briley is concerned about losing the plane itself. It's still owned by the Navy, he explained. If they determined it had deteriorated enough, they could have it removed.

"This is in memory of people who gave their lives for our country, and they don't deserve this kind of [dis]respect," Briley shook his head.

Briley was considering investing in more security in the area. While all people are welcome to visit the plane, he is asking neighbors to keep an eye out for visitors approaching the plane with tools.

For the latest breaking news, weather, and traffic alerts, download the NEWS CENTER Maine mobile app.