BATH

While the Maine Maritime Museum celebrates all things maritime, it’s neighbor to the north — Bath Iron Works — casts a long shadow.

“The one thing that I heard from person after person after person (visiting the museum) was, what’s going on over there?” said Maine Maritime Museum Executive Director Amy Lent, indicating toward the shipyard. “That’s what everybody wanted to know: What are they doing and how do they do it?”

The museum has had an exhibit on BIW covering the period from the 1860s through the 1980s and it’s shown BIW-related exhibits, such as hosting the Southgate Faces art project, but it didn’t really cover what was happening at the shipyard right now and the changes that have happened in the shipbuilding process over the last three decades.

“That’s the story that we’re telling here in this space,” said Lent.

On Thursday evening, the museum hosted a VIP reception to preview a new exhibit — “BIW: Building America’s Navy.” The new exhibit covers the modern period of BIW and attempts to take visitors inside the shipyard — if not literally. The grand opening of the exhibit is Saturday, but the VIP preview was to recognize the many people who donated the time, money and expertise to make it possible.

The keynote speaker was former BIW President William Haggett, who has close ties with the museum and the BIW exhibit.

“It is spectacular. It is the best thing that I’ve ever seen produced that describes what’s happening inside that shipyard,” said Haggett of the exhibit. “And it does it in a way that I think is understandable for lay people.”

Haggett worked at BIW for 28 years, from 1964-1992, serving eight years as president and chief executive officer of the company.

“We who live here tend to take the shipyard very much for granted,” he said. “We drive by it every day and ho hum, it’s BIW.

“But the shipyard is unique,” Haggett insisted. “We are blessed and very fortunate in Maine to have it here, and this support for this exhibit is one way to give the public at large an opportunity to see what’s happening inside that shipyard so that it can be perpetuated into the future.”

Haggett spent most of his remarks Thursday recounting the first hundred years of Bath Iron Works’ existence, including its glory days building ships during WWII.

“(The) shipyard built 25 percent of the United States Navy destroyers,” said Haggett. “It was building ships that were delivering at the rate of one every 17 days.”

But the new exhibit is about the current shipyard, which continues to churn out destroyers for the Navy.

Current BIW President Dirk Lesko was also at the event, and noted that Haggett’s legacy is still felt at the shipyard.

“The timing of the exhibit opening today, which coincides with the start of fabrication for our 40th DDG 51, is really a tribute the vision and leadership of Bill Haggett, who is one of the people the exhibit honors tonight,” said Lesko. “That program, and the work that he and the leadership team of his and those that have followed have really come together to result in opportunities that have lasted for decades and will continue to last for decades.”

nstrout@timesrecord.com

SATURDAY IS NOT only the grand opening of “BIW: Building America’s Navy,” it’s also Community Day at the Maine Maritime Museum. Admission is free, B.B.’s Grill will be selling food, and there will be plenty of activities throughout the day. At noon, the museum will be raising the flags on the Wyoming and conducting a cannon salute to mark the beginning of the summer season at the museum. Among the activities going on Saturday are lobster trap building demos, wood carving, face painting, and specific BIW technology and skills demonstrations. There will also be $10 boat cruises being offered.