[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 25 (Thursday, February 11, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S882-S883]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING CONNECTICUT'S SUBMARINE CENTURY

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee on Armed Services be discharged from further consideration of 
S. Res. 298 and 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 senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 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.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask that the Senate proceed to vote 
on adoption of the resolution.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate?
  Hearing none, the question is on agreeing to the resolution.
  The resolution (S. Res. 298) was agreed to.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Blumenthal amendment, which is at the desk, be agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 3306) was agreed to, as follows:

        (Purpose: To make technical corrections in the preamble)

       In the second whereas clause in the preamble, strike 
     ``donated land and provided funding'' and insert ``gifted 
     land''.
       In the ninth whereas clause in the preamble, strike 
     ``Warfare'' and insert ``Warfighting''.
       In the twelfth whereas clause of the preamble, strike 
     ``historic ship Nautilus'' and insert ``Historic Ship 
     NAUTILUS (SSN 571)''.

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I finally ask unanimous consent that 
the preamble, as amended, be agreed to and the motions to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or 
debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, as amended, reads as follows:

                              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 gifted 
     land 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 Warfighting 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 manufacturers of the time, the Lake 
     Torpedo Boat Company in Bridgeport and the Electric Boat 
     Company in Groton, which later became General Dynamics 
     Electric Boat;

[[Page S883]]

       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 
     (SSN 571) 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 longstanding 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 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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