Portsmouth Naval Shipyard sits on Seavey Island in Kittery, Maine. It runs right along the Piscataqua River, across from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The name says Portsmouth. The zip code says Maine. Either way, it is a submarine yard. The people who work and serve near it are some of the most skilled hands in the country.

This yard overhauls nuclear attack submarines. That means the talent nearby leans technical. Machinists, welders, pipefitters, electricians, nuclear-trained sailors, and quality inspectors. If your company needs skilled trades or engineering talent in the Seacoast region, this is a pool worth knowing.

Most local employers never tap it on purpose. They post a job and hope. This guide shows you how to reach that talent first. It covers what the yard produces and who separates near it. It shows where they live and when to reach them. And it shows how a midsize company sources them before the big shops do.

What kind of talent does Portsmouth Naval Shipyard produce?

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is the Navy's oldest continuously operating shipyard. It was founded in 1800. Today its job is the safe overhaul, repair, and modernization of the Navy's nuclear-powered attack submarines. That means Los Angeles to Virginia class boats, per the Naval Sea Systems Command.

Overhaul work is not simple. A submarine gets torn down and rebuilt. Every system gets checked. The people who do this work are precise. They follow strict procedures. They document everything. They fix problems the first time because a mistake on a submarine is not an option.

That mindset shows up in two talent streams near the yard. First, the active-duty and recently separated sailors who serve on or support these boats. Second, the deep skilled-trades culture the region has built over 200 years of shipyard work. For hiring, the sailors are your focus. They separate on a clock, and they scatter fast if nobody reaches them.

Here is what that talent looks like when it hits the job market.

One caution. The Seacoast is a real region, not just a base town. Not every veteran near the yard is a nuclear tech. And the yard itself runs on a large civilian workforce too. Read each resume for the work the person did. Do not judge by the rating or the unit alone.

Who separates near the yard, and how skilled are they?

Submarine duty is selective. The Navy does not put weak performers on a nuclear boat. The training pipeline is long and hard. Nuclear school alone screens out a lot of people. So the sailors who serve on or near these submarines have already passed a high bar.

That matters for you. When one of these sailors separates, you are not gambling. The Navy already did the vetting. It trained them for years. It trusted them with a reactor. A person like that shows up on time. They finish the job. They own their mistakes and fix them.

The shipyard also anchors a big civilian trades workforce in the region. As of recent Navy figures, the yard employs roughly 6,600 civilian workers, per the public record on the installation. That is not your hiring pool directly. But it tells you the Seacoast has a deep bench of skilled trades. It has a culture that respects this kind of work. Veterans who separate here often want to stay.

Why do these resumes look confusing at first?

The talent is strong. The resume often hides it. A great nuclear sailor may write in Navy code. Ratings, boat names, and system numbers mean nothing to a hiring team that never served. So a strong candidate can look weak on paper.

This is where good employers win. You learn to read past the jargon. You look for the work, not the words. A little translation turns a confusing resume into an obvious hire.

Here is the same sailor, written two ways.

Same person. Same skills. One version gets skipped. The other gets an interview. When you screen these candidates, look for the work behind the code. That MM1(SS) is a machinist's mate, first class, submarine qualified. In plain terms, a senior mechanic who ran a team and a maintenance program.

For a full breakdown of how to do this, our guide on how to evaluate a veteran resume walks through it step by step.

Where do these veterans live around the Seacoast?

The yard sits on the Maine and New Hampshire line. So the talent spreads across both states plus a piece of northern Massachusetts. If you hire in this region, your reach is wider than you think.

On the Maine side, veterans settle in Kittery, Eliot, York, and up toward Sanford. On the New Hampshire side, they live in Portsmouth, Dover, Rochester, Somersworth, and Exeter. The Seacoast is a tight, connected area. A 30-minute drive covers a lot of it.

Then there is Boston. It sits about an hour south. A lot of separating sailors weigh a Seacoast job against a Boston commute. If your company is in the region, you have an edge. You are close to home. Many veterans will take that over a longer drive for similar pay. If you also hire near Boston, our guide on hiring veterans near Hanscom AFB in the Boston area covers that cluster.

This yard is one of a few nuclear submarine maintenance hubs. The talent it produces looks a lot like the talent near other sub bases. If you recruit across regions, these companion guides help: recruiting veterans near Submarine Base New London in Groton, recruiting near Naval Base Kitsap in Washington, and recruiting near Norfolk's naval station.

When is the right time to reach them?

Timing wins this game. Reach a sailor too late and they are gone. Reach them early and you are first in line. The trick is to catch them before their separation date, not after.

Most sailors start thinking about the next job 6 to 12 months out. That is your window. By the time they hit terminal leave, the strong ones already have offers. If you wait until they post a resume on a job board, you are competing with everyone.

Two channels help you hit that window. The base transition office runs sessions for separating sailors. Reach out and ask how local employers can take part. And SkillBridge lets a service member intern with your company before they leave the Navy.

How does a midsize company source them first?

You do not need a giant recruiting budget to win here. The big defense shops throw money and brand at this. You cannot match that, and you do not have to. You win on speed, location, and a clear message.

Speed means you reply fast and move fast. Veterans are used to a slow federal hiring process. When you respond in a day and interview in a week, you stand out. Location means you sell the short commute and the roots they already have here. A clear message means you say exactly what the job is and why their skills fit.

Now put it into a plan. Sourcing veterans is not one big move. It is a few small steps done well and repeated.

Want more detail on each step? Start with sourcing veterans before their separation date. Then read how to become a SkillBridge host company and how to write a job description that attracts veterans.

What roles do these veterans fill best?

The talent near this yard maps to real jobs fast. You do not have to squint to see the fit. A sailor who ran a submarine's power plant can run yours.

Skilled trades are the obvious match. Welders, pipefitters, and machinists move straight into fabrication and repair shops. If that is your world, our guide on hiring veterans for welding and fabrication shops goes deep.

Nuclear-trained sailors are a special case. They run reactors and power systems under strict rules. That maps to utilities, energy, and manufacturing plants. Our guide on hiring veterans for nuclear power operations covers this pool.

Then there is defense and shipbuilding itself. Many veterans want to stay in the world they know. If you build or supply ships, read our guide on hiring veterans in shipbuilding and defense primes. The skills line up almost one to one.

Why do veterans make strong hires here?

The numbers back this up. Veterans have a lower jobless rate than nonveterans. That means they get hired and they stick. Veterans have kept a lower jobless rate than nonveterans for years. In 2024, the veteran rate was about 3.0 percent, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But the real reason is the work ethic. These sailors trained for years. They worked long shifts on a boat. They handled real danger with real focus. A tight deadline at your shop does not rattle them. They have seen worse and kept their cool.

They also lead. Even a mid-level sailor has run a small team. They know how to train a new hire. They know how to hold a standard. That is the kind of person who lifts a whole shift, not just fills a seat.

How does BMR help you reach this talent pool?

Best Military Resume is where veterans build their civilian resumes. That means we sit right at the start of the job search. When a sailor near Portsmouth decides to leave the Navy, this is often their first stop.

The pool is fresh and growing. We add more than 1,000 new veteran profiles every month. We have helped build more than 60,000 resumes. Many of these veterans list skills that match your open roles right now. In the Seacoast, that pool runs deep in machinery, electrical, welding, quality, and frontline leadership.

You do not have to guess or wait for a resume to land in your inbox. You can reach these veterans while they are actively looking. That is the whole point of getting there first.

Ready to see who is looking near you? Reach out to access BMR's veteran talent pool and connect with skilled veterans in the Seacoast region and beyond.