10 years after the Navy, former base has bounced back The Brunswick Naval Air Station had been part of life in Brunswick and Topsham for half a century, and a vital part of the local economy. Author: Don Carrigan Updated: 9:37 PM EDT May 26, 2021 BRUNSWICK, Maine — People in Brunswick and Topsham remember it well. In 2005, the Navy and the federal government sent a message they had been dreading: the Brunswick Naval Air Station would close. But on May 31, 2011, the base officially closed. By that time, the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority had been working for several years to plan for life after the Navy. Steve Levesque was leading that work and still is, but said he still recalls the harsh reality of the closing.