KITTERY – The border dispute between Maine and New Hampshire over the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has taken several strange turns over the years, but perhaps none as strange as the latest.

Retired shipyard worker Victor Bourre announced that he has assembled a militia, declared himself its general and raised a New Hampshire flag in the dead of night on the island where the shipyard sits.

Bourre, of Dover, N.H., has been a leader of efforts to have the shipyard declared New Hampshire property. But the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in May that it belongs to Maine. The court has refused to reconsider.

Monday night, Bourre delivered a manifesto to New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen explaining why the state constitution allows him to take over the remains of a Revolutionary War fort on Seavey Island. A copy of the manifesto was delivered Tuesday to the shipyard commander, Capt. Vernon T. Williams.

Also Monday, the militia raised the New Hampshire flag at Fort Sullivan at 9:50 p.m., according to Bourre.

“I have officially re-established the historic Fort Sullivan. I have reaffirmed New Hampshire’s jurisdictional control,” Bourre said. He said the group had passes to be on the property.

Officials at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard would not confirm or deny whether the flag-raising ever took place. “We’re just not going to talk about the subject,” said shipyard spokeswoman Debbie White.

Bourre could not be reached, either. There was a cryptic message on his home machine saying he had no comment.

In response to the Bourre uprising, Shaheen said it’s important that New Hampshire abide by the 8-0 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court. She repeated that she is disappointed that the high court refused to hear the merits of the case.

“All our legal options have been exhausted,” the governor said through her spokeswoman, Pamela Walsh.