ComSubLant Commander , Submarine Force Atlantic ( COMSUBLANT ) is the Submarine Force U . S . Atlantic Fleet type commander under the United States Fleet Forces Command . The principal responsibility of the Admiral commanding is to operate , maintain , train , and equip submarines . COMSUBLANT also has additional duties as commander of NATO ' s Allied Submarine Command and also Commander , Naval Submarine Forces . As Commander , Naval Submarine Forces ( COMSUBFOR ) , an additional type commander role , he also supervises Commander , Submarine Force Pacific ( often known as ComSubPac ) . From the 1960s to the 1990s the commander also held the NATO post of Commander , Submarines , Western Atlantic ( COMSUBWESTLANT ) . Established on 7 December 1941 , Rear Admiral Richard S . Edwards was its first commander . COMSUBLANT headquarters was at Naval Submarine Base New London until 1960 , when it was moved to Naval Station Norfolk . U . S . submarine operations in the Atlantic , however , go back to before the First World War . On January 1 , 1913 , Lieutenant Chester W . Nimitz was in command of the Atlantic Submarine Flotilla , with First Group consisting of submarines " C - 2 " , " C - 3 " , " C - 4 " , and " C - 5 " under Lieutenant Lewis D . Causey , and Second Group consisting of submarines " D - 1 " , " D - 2 " , " D - 3 " , " E - 1 " , and " E - 2 " under Lieutenant j . g . Claudius R . Hyatt . Nimitz was in command from May 1912 to March 1913 . In October 1945 , Submarine Squadron 2 was established at Submarine Base New London , Groton , Conn . , and in February 1946 , Submarine Squadron 8 was commissioned at Groton , CT . ' In correspondence of 31 January 1949 , the Chief of Naval Operations directed “ that the Fleet Commanders assign one division in each fleet to [ the ] sole task [ of solving ] the problem of using submarines to detect and destroy enemy submarines . All other operations of any nature , even type training , ASW services , or fleet tactics , shall be subordinated to this mission . ” After a further exchange of correspondence , Submarine Forces Atlantic established Submarine Development Group 2 , consisting of four diesel submarines , two Guppy ( Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program ) conversions and two standard fleet boats . ' The initial staff included Captain Roy S . Benson , two officers and two yeomen reporting directly to him . In 1951 , Submarine Squadron 10 was established at State Pier , New London , CT . The squadron has the distinction of being the only unit associated with Submarine Base New London to actually be located in New London instead of Groton . In the early 1960s Squadron 10 became the first all - nuclear US submarine squadron . The squadron was supported by USS Fulton ( AS - 11 ) for most of its existence , until both " Fulton " and the squadron were decommissioned in May , 1991 . In December 1969 , Submarine Squadron 8 was decommissioned . Submarine Squadron 14 operated Fleet Ballistic Missile boats from Holy Loch , Scotland , from 1961 until it was disbanded in 1992 . ComSubLant also oversaw Submarine Squadron 22 at La Maddalena in the Mediterranean , which existed 1972 - 2008 and was known as Submarine Refit and Training Group La Maddalena from 1972 to the mid - 1980s . Submarine Group 8 continues to operate in support of U . S . and NATO objectives there . On 1 May 1977 , Submarine Development Group 2 was officially redesignated as Submarine Development Squadron 12 in recognition of its role and responsibilities and new organizational status . In August 1979 , Submarine Squadron 8 was recommissioned in Norfolk , where it remained until consolidation with Submarine Squadron 6 on April 28 , 2011 . On January 13 , 2012 , Submarine Squadron 2 similarly was disestablished , transferring its boats to Submarine Squadron 4 and Submarine Development Squadron 12 . As Commander , Task Force 42 , COMSUBLANT operated Atlantic Fleet attack submarines . In addition , as Commander , Task Force 84 , the previous Atlantic Fleet special surveillance and anti - submarine warfare commander , COMSUBLANT operates submarines , Maritime Patrol Aircraft , surface ships assigned by Fleet Forces Command and Integrated Undersea Surveillance System assets . As of 2011 , SUBLANT numbers 30 submarines and more than 15 , 000 officers , enlisted , and civilian personnel providing combat ready submarines in the Atlantic , Arctic , Eastern Pacific , and Indian Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea . Commander , Naval Submarine Forces wrote in June 2012 on his blog : " We ’ re not perfect . In the Submarine Force we ’ ve had some high - visibility lapses in character . You ’ ve read about them : the cheating incident on USS MEMPHIS , the fraternization between the Chief of the Boat and a female midshipman on USS NEBRASKA , an incident of hazing on , and the financial misconduct of some Supply Officers in Kings Bay . In each case , once discovered , these incidents were thoroughly investigated , and appropriate people were held accountable . This is our approach and we ’ ll continue to address these cases swiftly and decisively . " There have also been previous problems of this nature . Commander Michael J . Alfonso was relieved as Commander , Blue Crew , in 1997 for ignoring his executive officer and browbeating his crew . Submarines and Units . These are the submarines and related units reporting to COMSUBLANT . There are discrepancies between this listing and the official Navy listing at http : / / www . navy . mil / navydata / ships / lists / homeport . asp . Commander , Submarine Squadron 6 ( COMSUBRON Six ) : Norfolk , Virginia Groton , Connecticut . Commander , Submarine Group 2 . Submarine Group Two ( COMSUBGRU Two ) has been active in the Atlantic Fleet since at least 1978 . In 1978 the Group was located at Groton , Connecticut . ( Ships and Aircraft , Eleventh Edition , 1978 ) Commander , Submarine Squadron 2 ( COMSUBRON Two ) : Commander , Submarine Squadron 4 ( COMSUBRON Four ) : Commander , Submarine Development Squadron 12 : Submarine Development Squadron 12 ' s mission , as assigned by the Chief of Naval Operations , is to develop the tactics and promulgate the tactical doctrine to conduct submarine warfare . Organized as Submarine Development Group 2 on 9 May 1949 , the original charter was to solve the problem of using submarines to defeat and destroy enemy submarines . During the intervening years this charter has grown in scope to support the full range of submarine missions including arctic warfare , anti - submarine warfare , anti - surface ship warfare , mine warfare and tactical strike warfare . With the vastly improved capabilities of the modern nuclear submarine and a weapons delivery capability that include mines , torpedoes , and cruise missiles , there are few naval warfare missions which cannot be conducted by submarines . On 1 May 1977 , Submarine Development Group 2 was officially redesignated as Submarine Development Squadron 12 in recognition of its expanded role and responsibilities and new organizational status . The Headquarters has been located at the Naval Submarine Base New London , Groton , Connecticut since 1949 . Submarine Development Squadron 12 also commands a squadron of the most modern attack submarines . Kings Bay , Georgia . Commander , Submarine Group 10 ( COMSUBGRU Ten ) . Commander , Submarine Squadron 16 ( COMSUBRON Sixteen ) : Commander , Submarine Squadron 20 ( COMSUBRON Twenty ) : Officers serving as COMSUBLANT . The following is an incomplete list :