Submarine Force Library and Museum The U . S . Navy Submarine Force Library and Museum , located on the Thames River near Groton , Connecticut , USA , is the only submarine museum managed exclusively by the U . S . Navy , which makes it a repository for many special submarine items of national significance , including . Visitors may take a 30 - minute self - guided audio tour of the submarine . In a 2009 visit to the museum , a writer for " Connecticut " magazine found several veterans of the U . S . submarine force who talked about their experiences while visiting the " Nautilus " . History . Established in 1955 , the museum was originally operated by the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics and was known solely as the Submarine Library . In 1964 , it was donated to the U . S . Navy and moved to its current location along the Thames . It received its official title in 1969 . Hoping to convince the U . S . Navy to donate the Nautilus to the museum , in 1984 the " Connecticut Nautilus Committee " was formed to raise funds for an improved museum . A new , facility was built with funding from the state , individuals and businesses , opening in 1986 . In late 1997 the Committee decided to start planning and raising funds for a addition to the museum building . Fundraising started the next year , and construction project ran from 1998 to early 2000 . The new addition was officially opened to the public on April 28 , 2000 " in conjunction with the Centennial Celebration of the United States Submarine Force " , according to the museum . Collection and permanent exhibits . The museum has 33 , 000 artifacts , including the first nuclear - powered submarine in the world , the . Launched in 1955 and decommissioned in 1980 , the submarine had traveled under the polar ice cap and reached the North Pole during the Cold War . Also at the museum is a replica of David Bushnell ' s " Turtle " , built in 1775 and the first submarine used in combat ; midget submarines from World War II ; working periscopes , a submarine control room , models of submarines , and the Explorer , an early U . S . research submarine . In addition to its large collection of submarines and related objects , the museum also has a library with around 20 , 000 documents and 30 , 000 photos related to the history of submarine development . The library also includes 6 , 000 books related to the field of submarine history , including a 1551 text on submarine retrieval , and an original 1870 copy of Jules Verne ' s " 20 , 000 Leagues Under the Sea " ( the museum also has a model of the fictional ship ) . Documents in the collection include notes and calculations by John Holland for the Navy ' s first submarine , " one - of - a - kind artifacts from World War I and World War II " , and the submarine library collections of both Electric Boat Corporation and the U . S . Navy . Commentary on the museum . The institution is " an absolute gem worth exploring , and [ . . . ] chock - full of adult - and kid - friendly exhibits " , with the USS Nautilus as " the star attraction " , according to a brief 2009 article in " Connecticut " magazine . " Students of modern military history will be impressed " by the museum , Anna Mundow wrote in Fodor ' s " Compass American Guides " book , " Connecticut & Rhode Island " .