[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 157 (Monday, October 26, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7493-S7494]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 298--RECOGNIZING CONNECTICUT'S SUBMARINE CENTURY, THE 
  100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE NEW 
  LONDON, AND CONNECTICUT'S HISTORIC ROLE IN SUPPORTING THE UNDERSEA 
                   CAPABILITIES OF THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself and Mr. Murphy) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services:

                              S. Res. 298

       Whereas, on March 2, 1867, Congress enacted a naval 
     appropriations Act that authorized the Secretary of the Navy 
     to ``receive and accept a deed of gift, when offered by the 
     State of Connecticut, of a tract of land with not less than 
     one mile of shore front on the Thames River near New London, 
     Connecticut, to be held by the United States for naval 
     purposes'';
       Whereas the people of Connecticut and the towns and cities 
     in the southeastern region of Connecticut subsequently 
     donated land and provided funding to establish a military 
     installation to fulfil the Nation's need for a naval facility 
     on the Atlantic coast;
       Whereas, on April 11, 1868, the Navy accepted the deed of 
     gift of land from Connecticut to establish a naval yard and 
     storage depot along the eastern shore of the Thames River in 
     Groton, Connecticut;
       Whereas, between 1868 and 1912, the New London Navy Yard 
     supported a diverse range of missions, including berthing 
     inactive Civil War era ironclad warships and serving as a 
     coaling station for refueling naval ships traveling in New 
     England waters;
       Whereas Congress rejected the Navy's proposal to close New 
     London Navy Yard in 1912, following an impassioned effort by 
     Congressman Edwin W. Higgins, who stated that this ``action 
     proposed is not only unjust but unreasonable and unsound as a 
     military proposition'';
       Whereas the outbreak of World War I and the enemy use of 
     submarines to sink allied military and civilian ships in the 
     Atlantic sparked a new focus on developing submarine 
     capabilities in the United States;
       Whereas October 18, 1915, marked the arrival at the New 
     London Navy Yard of the submarines G-1, G-2, and G-4 under 
     the care of the tender USS OZARK, soon followed by the 
     arrival of submarines E-1, D-1, and D-3 under the care of the 
     tender USS TONOPAH, and on November 1, 1915, the arrival of 
     the first ship built as a submarine tender, the USS FULTON 
     (AS-1);
       Whereas, on June 21, 1916, Commander Yeates Stirling 
     assumed the command of the newly designated Naval Submarine 
     Base New London, the New London Submarine Flotilla, and the 
     Submarine School;
       Whereas, in the 100 years since the arrival of the first 
     submarines to the base, Naval Submarine Base New London has 
     grown to occupy more than 680 acres along the east side of 
     the Thames River, with more than 160 major facilities, 15 
     nuclear submarines, and more than 70 tenant commands and 
     activities, including the Submarine Learning Center, Naval 
     Submarine School, the Naval Submarine Medical Research 
     Laboratory, the Naval Undersea Medical Institute, and the 
     newly established Undersea Warfare Development Center;
       Whereas, in addition to being the site of the first 
     submarine base in the United States, Connecticut was home to 
     the foremost submarine manufactures of the time, the Lake 
     Torpedo Boat Company in Bridgeport and the Electric Boat 
     Company in Groton, which later became General Dynamics 
     Electric Boat;
       Whereas General Dynamics Electric Boat, its talented 
     workforce, and its Connecticut-based and nationwide network 
     of suppliers have delivered more than 200 submarines from its 
     current location in Groton, Connecticut, including the first 
     nuclear-powered submarine, the USS NAUTILUS (SSN 571), and 
     nearly half of the nuclear submarines ever built by the 
     United States;
       Whereas the Submarine Force Library and Museum, located 
     adjacent to Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, 
     Connecticut, is the only submarine museum operated by the 
     United States Navy and today serves as the primary repository 
     for artifacts, documents, and photographs relating to the 
     bold and courageous history of the Submarine Force and 
     highlights as its core exhibit the historic ship Nautilus 
     following her retirement from service;
       Whereas, reflecting the close ties between Connecticut and 
     the Navy that began with the gift of land that established 
     the base, the State of Connecticut has set aside $40,000,000 
     in funding for critical infrastructure investments to support 
     the mission of the base, including construction of a new dive 
     locker building, expansion of the Submarine Learning Center, 
     and modernization of energy infrastructure;
       Whereas, on September 29, 2015, Connecticut Governor Dannel 
     Malloy designated October 2015 through October 2016 as 
     Connecticut's Submarine Century, a year-long observance that 
     celebrates 100 years of submarine activity in Connecticut, 
     including the Town of Groton's distinction as the Submarine 
     Capital of the World, to coincide with the centennial 
     anniversary of the establishment of Naval Submarine Base New 
     London and the Naval Submarine School;
       Whereas Naval Submarine Base New London still proudly 
     proclaims its motto of ``The First and Finest''; and
       Whereas Congressman Higgins' statement before Congress in 
     1912 that ``Connecticut stands ready, as she always has, to 
     bear her part of the burdens of the national defense'' 
     remains true today: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commends the long standing dedication and contribution 
     to the Navy and submarine force by the people of Connecticut, 
     both through the initial deed of gift that established what 
     would become Naval Submarine

[[Page S7494]]

     Base New London and through their ongoing commitment to 
     support the mission of the base and the Navy personnel 
     assigned to it;
       (2) honors the submariners who have trained and served at 
     Naval Submarine Base New London throughout its history in 
     support of the Nation's security and undersea superiority;
       (3) recognizes the contribution of the industry and 
     workforce of Connecticut in designing, building, and 
     sustaining the Navy's submarine fleet; and
       (4) encourages the recognition of Connecticut's Submarine 
     Century by Congress, the Navy, and the American people by 
     honoring the contribution of the people of Connecticut to the 
     defense of the United States and the important role of the 
     submarine force in safeguarding the security of the United 
     States for more than a century.

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