[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 41 (Monday, October 16, 2000)]
[Pages 2450-2451]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7363--100th Anniversary of the U.S. Navy Submarine Force, 
2000

 October 12, 2000

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    On October 12, 1900, the United States Navy commissioned its first 
submarine, the U.S.S. Holland. Few people realized that this vessel 
would be the first in a long line of innovative and technically 
sophisticated ships that would launch a new era in our national defense.
    Although early-20th century submarines were small, cramped, and 
somewhat limited in use, a few visionary American naval leaders 
recognized their great potential as both offensive and defensive 
weapons. By the end of World War I, American submarines were patrolling 
our Nation's coasts and supporting Allied efforts to keep the sea lanes 
open along the European coast and around the British Isles. In the 
1930s, thanks to the determination of submarine force leaders and 
notable improvements by ship designers and builders, U.S. submarines 
evolved into a powerful offensive force, equipped with enough fuel, 
food, and weapons to sustain long-range, independent, open-sea patrols.
    In 1941, when Imperial Japanese forces destroyed much of the U.S. 
battle fleet in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy 
Submarine Force stepped into the breach and played a pivotal role in 
winning the war in the Pacific. With submerged attacks during daylight 
hours and surface attacks at night, U.S. submarines inflicted a 
devastating toll on the Japanese Imperial Navy and merchant marine. By 
war's end, our submarine force had sunk 30 percent of the enemy's naval 
force and 60 percent of their merchant ships. But this impressive 
victory came at a heavy price: the submarine force suffered the highest 
casualty rate of any component of the U.S. Armed Services. Of the 16,000 
Americans who served in submarines during the war, more than 3,500 gave 
their lives.
    As the Cold War dawned, the U.S. Submarine Force once again helped 
to turn the tide of history, this time by deterring war. In 1954, under 
the leadership of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, nuclear power was 
introduced to the fleet on the U.S.S. Nautilus. Together with advances 
in hull design, silencing techniques, and sonic detection, nuclear power 
dramatically improved the speed, stealth, and range of U.S. submarines. 
By the 1960s, when ballistic missiles were successfully launched from 
submerged submarines, the U.S. Navy Submarine Force helped protect the 
Free World from Soviet aggression by conducting reconnaissance missions 
and by ensuring that the United States could retaliate effectively 
against any nuclear attack from the Soviet Union or its allies.
    The end of the Cold War, however, did not bring an end to the 
challenges facing our submarine force, as the outbreak of regional 
disturbances replaced the threat of all-out nuclear conflict. Modern 
submarines, with their ability to remain submerged for long periods of 
time, excel at gathering timely and accurate information about potential 
trouble spots around the globe. Should the need arise, our submarine 
force can also exercise powerful offensive capabilities, as it did 
during Operation Desert Storm in Kuwait and Iraq and Operation Allied 
Force in Kosovo. Today's submariners continue to build on a proud 
tradition of service by protecting U.S. interests, defending our freedom 
and that of our allies, and helping to shape a more peaceful world in 
the 21st century.
     Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 
12, 2000, as the 100th Anniversary of the U.S. Navy Submarine Force. I 
call upon all Americans to observe this centennial celebration with

[[Page 2451]]

appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities in honor of those 
patriots, past and present, who have played a part in the rich history 
of the U.S. Navy Submarine Force--from ship designers and builders to 
logisticians and support personnel to submarine crews and their 
families--and in tribute to those who gave their lives for our freedom. 
Because of the vision, dedication, courage, and selflessness of 
generations of these brave Americans, the United States today has a 
submarine force second to none, whose unprecedented contributions to 
intelligence, deterrence, and offensive military capability will 
continue to serve as a strong pillar of our Nation's security in the 
years to come.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day of 
October, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence 
of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.
                                            William J. Clinton

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., October 16, 
2000]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register on 
October 17.