Naval Submarine Base New London is the primary

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

East Coast submarine base, also known as the "Home of the Submarine Force." It is located in

Groton, Connecticut Groton ( ) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located on the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United St ...

directly across the Thames River from its namesake city of New London.

History

In 1868, the State of

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

gave the Navy exactly of land along the Thames River in Groton to build a Naval Station. Due to a lack of federal funding, it was not until 1872 that the two brick buildings and a T-shaped pier were constructed and officially declared a Navy Yard. In 1898, Congress approved a coaling station to be built at the Yard for refueling small naval ships traveling through the waters of

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

. The Navy Yard was first used for laying up inactive ships. The Congressional appropriations were small and the Navy had little need for the yard, which was closed from 1898 to 1900 and its personnel reassigned. By 1912, oil replaced coal in warships and again the Yard was scheduled for closure and the land relinquished by the Navy.

Submarine base established

The Navy Yard was spared permanent closure in 1912 by an impassioned plea from Congressman Edwin W. Higgins of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

, who was worried about the loss of Federal spending in the region. On 18 October 1915, the submarines ''G-1'', ''G-2'' and ''G-4'' arrived in Groton, along with the monitor serving as a

submarine tender A submarine tender, in British English a submarine depot ship, is a type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines. Development Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally cannot carry large amounts of foo ...

. The submarines ''D-1'', ''D-2'', ''D-3'' and ''E-1'', along with the submarine tender ''Tonopah'' and the destroyer ''Columbus'' would arrive shortly thereafter. Additional submarines and support craft arrived the following year, and the facility was named as the Navy's first submarine base. The first commander of the Yard was retired Commodore Timothy A. Hunt, who was recalled to service. He was living in

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

, and he used the Central Hotel on State Street, New London when in town to attend to Yard duties on an "as needed" basis. The submarine base is physically located in the Town of Groton, but New London became associated with it because the base had its post office, main offices and housing in New London. Following

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the Navy established schools and training facilities at the base.

Wartime expansion

The Base property expanded during the latter part of

. Congress since approved over a million dollars for Base real estate and facilities expansion. By the end of the war, 81 buildings had been built to support 1,400 men and 20 submarines, although the land expansion was slowed through much of the 1920s. However, the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

of the 1930s saw an expansion and enhancement of the physical plant of the Base. President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

created a series of Federal Government employment programs that contributed significantly to the Submarine Base. Over 26 high quality warehouses, barracks, and workshops were built at the base under these Federal job-spending programs. The second largest expansion of the Base occurred during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when it grew from 112 acres to . The Submarine Force leaped in size, and the Base accommodated thousands of men to serve the growing combat fleet. Immediately after World War II, the Submarine Force was significantly reduced and many submarines were sent into storage. Most of the World War II fleet was sold for scrap metal during the early 1960s. US Naval Submarine Base New London aerial photo c1968

US Naval Submarine Base New London aerial photo c1968

From 1930 to 1994, the most recognizable structure on the base was the Escape Training Tank. Generations of submariners learned to escape in up to of water using buoyant ascent, and were trained in the use of the Momsen lung or Steinke hood. In 2007, the Escape Training Tank was replaced by the Submarine Escape Trainer, which has two types of escape trunks in up to of water. The Steinke hood was replaced by the Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment in the 2000s.

Submarine school

The New London Base is homeport to 16

attack submarine An attack submarine or hunter-killer submarine is a submarine specifically designed for the purpose of attacking and sinking other submarines, surface combatants, and merchant vessels. In the Soviet Navy, Soviet and Russian Navy, Russian navies ...

s and full Navy base situated in Groton, Connecticut. The Base is also neighbor to the major submarine construction yard of General Dynamics' Electric Boat Division. All officer and enlisted submariners are stationed at Groton during their training, except for nuclear trained Electronics Technicians (ETs), Electrician's Mates (EMs), and Machinist's Mates (MMs). Enlisted sailors attending sub school will first go through Basic Enlisted Sub School (BESS), an eight-week program that teaches the rigours of undersea life. BESS includes training in shoring, patching leaks and ruptured pipes, firefighting, and boat handling techniques. After BESS, sailors will either go to a boat or to follow-on schools. The main base occupies more than plus over of family housing. It also supports more than 70 tenant commands, including Naval Submarine School (NAVSUBSCOL), 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 proposed closure

On 13 May 2005,

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...

recommended that the base be closed. After review, the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted on 24 August 2005 to strike New London from the list of possible closures, thus allowing the base to remain open.

Garrison

Current units stationed at NSBNL include: * Naval Submarine School * Submarine Learning Centre * Naval Branch Health Clinic * Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory * Naval Undersea Medical Institute * Navy Information Operations Detachment * Commander Submarine Group 2 ** Submarine Squadron 4 *** ''Los Angeles''-class submarines **** USS ''Hartford'' (SSN-768) *** ''Virginia''-class submarines **** USS ''Virginia'' (SSN-774) **** USS ''New Mexico'' (SSN-779) **** USS ''California'' (SSN-781) **** USS ''Minnesota'' (SSN-783) **** USS ''North Dakota'' (SSN-784) **** USS ''Colorado'' (SSN-788) **** USS ''Indiana'' (SSN-789) **** USS ''South Dakota'' (SSN-790) **** USS ''Delaware'' (SSN-791) – Commissioned 4 April 2020 **** USS ''Vermont'' (SSN-792) – Commissioned 18 April 2020 **** USS Oregon (SSN-793) – Commissioned 28 May 2022 **** USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN-795) – Commissioned 14 October 2023 **** USS Iowa (SSN-797) - Commissioned 5 April 2025 , In service ** Submarine Development Squadron 12 *** ''Los Angeles''-class submarines **** USS ''San Juan'' (SSN-751) **** USS ''Toledo'' (SSN-769)

References

External links

*
NSB New London websiteU.S. Navy Submarine Force Museum
— Official home of USS ''Nautilus'' (SSN-571)
Navy Basic Enlisted Submarine School
* {{coord, 41.398115, -72.086964, region:US_type:landmark, display=title New London Buildings and structures in Groton, Connecticut Historic American Engineering Record in Connecticut Military installations in Connecticut Military Superfund sites Buildings and structures in New London County, Connecticut Superfund sites in Connecticut