Naval Submarine Base New London, in Groton, Connecticut, is the chief training center of the United States Navy’s submarine force. It also houses the Submarine School and headquarters of the Submarine Group TWO. The base covers 687 acres (278 hectares) on the Thames River, 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) northeast of New London. Connecticut gave the land to the federal government in 1868 for naval purposes. The United States Navy established a coaling station there in 1872. The Navy first used submarines at the New London naval base in 1915.
The submarine base houses over 70 separate military commands. It also is the home of the USS Nautilus Memorial and the Submarine Force Library and Museum. The Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, was built in Groton and launched in 1954.
See also Nautilus.
