[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 165 (Friday, November 19, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S14929]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMENDING UNITED STATES NAVY ON 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF SUBMARINE FORCE

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Armed 
Services Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 
196 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 196) commending the submarine force 
     of the United States Navy on the 100th anniversary of the 
     force.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to the 
resolution be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 196) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 196

       Whereas the submarine force of the United States was 
     founded with the purchase of the U.S.S. HOLLAND on April 11, 
     1900;
       Whereas in overcoming destruction resulting from the attack 
     of United States forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 
     7, 1941, and difficulties with defective torpedoes, the 
     submarine force destroyed 1,314 enemy ships in World War II 
     (weighing a cumulative 5,300,000 tons), which accounts for 55 
     percent of all enemy ships lost in World War II;
       Whereas 16,000 United States submariners served with 
     courage during World War II, and 7 United States submariners 
     were awarded Congressional Medals of Honor for their 
     distinguished gallantry in combat above and beyond the call 
     of duty;
       Whereas in achieving an impressive World War II record, the 
     submarine force suffered the highest casualty rate of any 
     combatant submarine service of the warring alliances, losing 
     375 officers and 3,131 enlisted men in 52 submarines;
       Whereas from 1948 to 1955, the submarine force, with 
     leadership provided by Admiral Hyman Rickover and others, 
     developed an industrial base in a new technology, pioneered 
     new materials, designed and built a prototype reactor, 
     established a training program, and took to sea the world's 
     first nuclear-powered submarine, the U.S.S. NAUTILUS, thus 
     providing America undersea superiority;
       Whereas subsequent to the design of the U.S.S. NAUTILUS, 
     the submarine force continued to develop and put to sea the 
     world's most advanced and capable submarines, which were 
     vital to maintaining our national security during the Cold 
     War;
       Whereas the United States Navy, with leadership provided by 
     Admiral Red Raborn, developed the world's first operational 
     ballistic missile submarine, which provided an invaluable 
     asset to our Nation's strategic nuclear deterrent capability, 
     and contributed directly to the eventual conclusion of the 
     Cold War; and
       Whereas in 1999, the submarine force provides the United 
     States Navy with the ability to operate around the world, 
     independent of outside support, from the open ocean to the 
     littorals, carrying out multimission taskings on tactical, 
     operational, and strategic levels: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved,
       (a) That the Senate--
       (1) commends the past and present personnel of the 
     submarine force of the United States Navy for their technical 
     excellence, accomplishments, professionalism, and sacrifices; 
     and
       (2) congratulates those personnel for the 100 years of 
     exemplary service that they have provided the United States.
       (b) It is the sense of the Senate that, in the next 
     millennium, the submarine force of the United States Navy 
     should continue to comprise an integral part of the Navy, and 
     to carry out missions that are key to maintaining our great 
     Nation's freedom and security as the most superior submarine 
     force in the world.

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