KITTERY (AP) – A letter-writing campaign in support of sparing the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard from the upcoming round of base closings has produced nearly 9,000 letters so far.

Organizers plan to send the letters to the Pentagon next week and hope to send a second batch in May. They already have been sending daily faxes of some letters to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Retired shipyard commander Capt. William McDonough said last week that community support was something Rumsfeld needed to be made aware of, even though it isn’t among the criteria considered for closing or keeping bases.

“It will make an impression,” he said.

Portsmouth is at risk to close as the Pentagon prepares to shutter or scale back a quarter of about 425 military facilities nationwide this year. It will be the first such effort to save money in 10 years and is part of the long-term transformation of the Cold War military.

Congress authorized the fifth round of Base Realignment and Closure last year.

Paul O’Connor, president of the Metal Trades Council at the shipyard, said the volume of letters received after the campaign was launched in area newspapers has reassured him.

He said the shipyard workers had been concerned about how much the community supported them.

“Our concerns can be laid to rest,” O’Connor said. “Clearly, our community does care about what we do.”

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