Naval Submarine Base New London
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The town of Groton, Connecticut is host to SUBASE New London and the Electric Boat division of General Dynamics.
Naval Submarine Base New London is the Navy's first Submarine Base, the "Home of the Submarine Force", and "the Submarine Capital of the World". In 1868, the State of Connecticut gave the Navy 112 acres (0.5 km²) of land along the Thames River to build a Naval Station. Due to a lack of federal funding, it was not until 1872 that two brick buildings and a "T" shaped pier were constructed and officially declared a Navy Yard. This new yard was primarily used as a coaling station by Atlantic Fleet small craft.
On October 13, 1915, the monitor Ozark (BM-7), a submarine tender, and 4 submarines arrived in Groton, CT. With the war effort in Europe and the Atlantic in full swing, additional submarines and support craft arrived the following year and the facility was named as the Navy's first Submarine Base. Although physically located in Groton, CT, the base had their main offices and housing in the larger city of New London, hence was christened as Naval Submarine Base New London. Following World War I, the Navy established schools and training facilities at the base.
The first diesel-powered submarine was commissioned in Groton on February 14, 1912.
On January 21, 1954 the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus (SSN-571), was launched from Groton. In 1982 the Nautilus was designated a National Historic Landmark in Groton.
As homeport to sixteen attack submarines and neighbor to a major submarine construction yard, all Officers and most Enlisted submariners will be stationed here for training and perhaps a tour onboard an attack submarine or with a pre-commissioning crew while their new submarine is under construction. The main base occupies more than 687 acres (3 km²) plus over 530 acres (2 km²) of family housing, sixteen attack submarines, and the Navy's nuclear research deep submersible NR-1. The base also supports more than 70 tenant commands including, Commander Navy Region Northeast (CNRNE), Commander Submarine Group Two (CSG2), Naval Submarine School (SUBSCOL), Naval Submarine Support Facility (NSSF), three Submarine Squadron staffs, and the housing and support facilities for more than 21,000 civilian workers, active-duty service members and their families.
Base Realignment and Closure
On May 13, 2005, the Pentagon recommended that the base be closed, a recommendation that may be approved or rejected by the Base Realignment and Closure commission. The commission's recommendations will then be accepted or rejected in their entirety by the President of the United States and the United States Congress.
Homeported ships
As of August 2004, the following boats were homeported in Groton:
External links
- NSB New London website (http://www.subasenlon.navy.mil/)
- U.S. Navy Submarine Force Museum (http://www.ussnautilus.org/) — Official home of USS Nautilus (SSN-571)