Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has never actually been in Portsmouth — it's on Seavey Island in Kittery, Maine, across the Piscataqua River from the city that lent it a name. Founded in 1800, it's the Navy's oldest continuously operating shipyard, and today its civilian workforce overhauls the fleet's nuclear attack submarines. This page is your first 30 days across the Seacoast, sorted.
The Shipyard
Clear the name up first: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard isn't in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It sits on Seavey Island in Kittery, Maine, on the far side of the Piscataqua River from the city that gave it its name. The Navy has run a shipyard here since 1800, which makes it the oldest continuously operating shipyard in the fleet — older than the Navy's current rank structure, older than most of the towns around it in their present form.
The modern mission is submarines: Portsmouth is one of only four public naval shipyards in the country, and its job is the overhaul, repair, and modernization of Los Angeles- and Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines. It's run by an overwhelmingly civilian workforce — several thousand tradespeople and engineers, the largest employer in the Seacoast region — under a Navy chain of command, with a smaller contingent of active-duty Sailors overseeing the work. That mix means the rhythm here is availability schedules and shift work, not workups and deployments, and the yard is currently in the middle of a multi-year dry dock modernization to keep pace with the submarine fleet's maintenance backlog.
For families, the practical upshot is that this is a two-state PCS. Everything from Kittery down to York sits in Maine; cross either the Memorial Bridge or the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge and you're in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with a different tax structure, different school systems, and a different pace, all inside the same short commute.
Where You'll Actually Live
Six real choices split across two states. Every commute below crosses at least one bridge over the Piscataqua, except Kittery's.
Your PCS Checklist
From your first orders to closing on a house — sorted by where you actually are.
Report date, gaining command, dependent authorization, and any special instructions — mistakes here cascade into every later step.
Schedule your household-goods counseling session and pick a move type (full move, PPM/DITY, or partial DITY).
Book your packout date with your Personal Property Office as early as your report date allows.
Confirm every family member's DEERS record is current before you leave — it gates TRICARE, base access, and commissary privileges at the new station.
Pull your Certificate of Eligibility now so you know your buying power before you start touring homes.
TRICARE regions changed in 2024 — confirm your plan and provider network transfer automatically.
Many states now have expedited licensure compacts for military spouses — confirm before you arrive so there's no gap in income.
Can I Afford This?
Real basic pay, real BAH, real nearby home values — not a guess.
On the Map
The installation's actual location — pan, zoom, get directions.
Where People Live
Real, opt-in reports from people stationed here — never an exact address, just the general area.
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Local Favorites
Real spots around Kittery, ME -- an 88-acre town park with tide pools and a decommissioned coastal fort, a from-scratch bakery open since 2002, and a craft brewery founded by a former Harpoon brewer.
88-acre town park on Gerrish Island with beaches, tide pools, a 565-ft pier, and about 2 miles of trails -- site of a decommissioned 1901-1946 coastal fort. Seasonal vehicle pass required May-Sept.
1808-1868 coastal fortification with an 1844 granite-and-log blockhouse that protected Portsmouth Harbor approaches through five wars, honor-system donation entry.
A quiet, rocky/sandy beach that's a genuine local spot, not a tourist draw -- resident-only parking in summer, popular off-season dog beach.
From-scratch bakery and cafe open since 2002 on Route 1 in Kittery.
A 501(c)(3) all-ages music and arts venue in a restored 1928 Grange Hall in Kittery Foreside.
Craft brewery founded 2014 by Tod Mott, a former Harpoon and Portsmouth Brewery brewer, and family.
Jodi's List
The Seacoast's veteran-business bench runs on both sides of the river — verified listings, straight from the directory.
Listings from Jodi's List, the veteran-owned business directory.
Own a veteran business near Portsmouth Naval Shipyard?Get Listed Free →On-Base Resources
We only publish numbers we've verified — none are on file for this installation yet. The base operator directory on the official site is the reliable source.
Live From the Installation
Pulled from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard's official public channels — updated automatically.
No updates ingested for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard yet.
This feed pulls straight from the installation's official public channels once its news feed is connected — check the base's official site in the meantime.
The Playbook
Maine (Kittery, Eliot, York) and New Hampshire (Portsmouth, Dover, Somersworth/Rochester) run different tax structures and school systems on the same commute — settle the state question first, then shop.
Check-in, DEERS updates, and your TRICARE region transfer in week one — CDC waitlists and referrals across the Seacoast all key off it.
Every town on this list runs its own district — Maine and New Hampshire don't share a system. Register as soon as you sign a lease or close, not after you unpack.
The Memorial and Sarah Mildred Long bridges lift for boat traffic and back up at shift change. Know your alternate route across the Piscataqua before your first 0500 muster.
Zero-down VA loans for eligible buyers, all 50 states from day one, and Personal Bankers who know the difference between a Kittery ZIP and a Portsmouth one. Start before the movers do.
Subject to credit approval and VA eligibility. The Veteran Alliance is a fintech company, not a bank; banking services provided through partner institutions.
Where are you at with housing near Portsmouth Naval Shipyard?
Local Favorites
88-acre town park on Gerrish Island with beaches, tide pools, a 565-ft pier, and about 2 miles of trails -- site of a decommissioned 1901-1946 coastal fort. Seasonal vehicle pass required May-Sept.
1808-1868 coastal fortification with an 1844 granite-and-log blockhouse that protected Portsmouth Harbor approaches through five wars, honor-system donation entry.
A quiet, rocky/sandy beach that's a genuine local spot, not a tourist draw -- resident-only parking in summer, popular off-season dog beach.
From-scratch bakery and cafe open since 2002 on Route 1 in Kittery.
A 501(c)(3) all-ages music and arts venue in a restored 1928 Grange Hall in Kittery Foreside.
Craft brewery founded 2014 by Tod Mott, a former Harpoon and Portsmouth Brewery brewer, and family.
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