Electric Boatenheimer: Pair From Worcester Arrested After Nuclear Sub Protest

WORCESTER, MA — Two well known Worcester peace activists were arrested Monday in Connecticut after a protest outside an Electric Boat facility where nuclear submarines are manufactured.

According to police, the protesters blocked the entrance to the New London Electric Boat plant using cutouts of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the nuclear bomb and the subject of the 2023 film "Oppenheimer."

Five protesters were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and first-degree trespassing, including Frank Kartheiser, founder of the Worcester Mustard Seed Catholic Worker house, and Scott Schaeffer-Duffy, a longtime local peace activist and Catholic Worker.

Kartheiser also founded Worcester Interfaith, organizing religious organizations to work on a range of social issues in the city. The group led a successful 2021 lawsuit against the city seeking a change to school committee elections.

Both Kartheiser and Schaeffer-Duffy were arrested without incident, New London police said in a news release.

Electric Boat makes nuclear submarines, and is working on the new Columbia Class of nuclear subs that could be in service for the next 60 years. Not only do the subs run on nuclear power, but they are capable of launching nuclear weapons. Electric Boat has a contract with the U.S. Navy to build 12 of the subs at a cost of close to $110 billion.