KITTERY — Almost two years ago, on April 8, 2010, the USS San Juan submarine arrived at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. It was scheduled for an overhaul to make numerous repairs and modernization.

Soon after the submarine and its crew of nearly 140 arrived, a ceremony recognizing the beginning of its stay was held. A plaque acknowledging the stay was hung in the shipyard’s tavern.

Now that work is nearly complete, the ship and its crew will soon be ready to depart.

In preparation for the departure, one of the final tasks ”“ a ceremonial deplaquing ”“ was held Thursday. The San Juan’s plaque will be hung in the shipyard’s bar, along with hundreds of others of plaques recognizing the other watercraft the shipyard has had a hand in.

The San Juan’s commanding officer, Commander Oliver Lewis, said he was impressed with work force in Kittery and the work done on the submarine.

He also thanked Biddeford for providing a “home away from home” for his crew.

When submarine crews arrive at the shipyard, a host community adopts them for the duration of their stay. Biddeford was the host community for the San Juan.

The host community program provides an opportunity for crew members to become part of a community while away from home. It also gives community members an understanding of the defense structure and first-hand knowledge of the men and women who sacrifice their lives for their country, said Lewis.

According to Gene Foster, chairman of the Twin Cities Veterans Council, the San Juan’s crew joined in a number of community events. Not only did they and some of their families visit the city for barbecues and other get-togethers, they also participated in all the parades put on by the veterans’ council during their stay as well as last year’s 9/11 ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.

In addition, crew members helped with a Toys for Tots event, building 36 bicycles purchased by the AMVETS post in Biddeford. Others helped pass out warm clothing purchased by a veterans group to the 200 residents at the Maine Veterans Home in Scarborough.

The veterans receiving the clothes greatly appreciated that gesture, said Foster, and he said, the crew members told him they were moved by the experience of meeting those who had already sacrificed for their country.

Biddeford City Councilor Bob Mills, who is a military veteran, was very involved in the community events in which the San Juan crew members took part.

“You’ve blessed our community and our lives,” he said Thursday, thanking the crew for their service to the country on behalf of the city.

“I have a huge amount of respect for what they do. They touched a lot of us,” he said.

Councilor David Bourque also attended Thursday’s ceremony. He thanked the crew telling them, “You’re welcome here any time.”

The San Juan was the second submarine Biddeford hosted, at least in recent memory, said Foster. The first, the USS Santa Fe, was hosted while former Mayor Wallace Nutting was in office, which was from 2003-07.

The San Juan will take off next month for sea trials and return to its home base in Groton, Conn. for several months before eventually being deployed overseas.

The U.S. Navy established Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in 1800. From shipbuilding, the shipyard’s mission changed to building submarines during World War I. The nation’s first submarine built at a naval shipyard was built in Kittery in 1917. The last submarine was built there in 1971, when the shipyard’s mission changed again to one of repair, maintenance and overhaul.

The USS San Juan is one of hundreds of submarines ”“ one of four currently being overhauled ”“ that the shipyard has worked on. It was commissioned in 1988.

 — Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.