Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 201 / Tuesday, October 17, 2000 / Presidential Documents 61257

Proclamation 7363 of October 12, 2000

100th Anniversary of the U.S. Navy Submarine Force, 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

61258 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 201 / Tuesday, October 17, 2000 / Presidential Documents

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 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

[FR Doc. 00–26771

Filed 10–16–00; 8:45 am]

Billing code 3195–01–P

of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.

œ–