Naval Submarine Base New London Naval Submarine Base New London is the United States Navy ' s primary submarine base , also known as the " Home of the Submarine Force " . History . In 1868 , the State of Connecticut gave the Navy 112 acres ( 0 . 5 km² ) of land along the Thames River to build a Naval Station . Due to a lack of federal funding , it was not until 1872 that two brick buildings and a " T " shaped pier were constructed and officially declared a Navy Yard . In 1898 , Congress approved a coaling station be built at the Yard for refueling small naval ships traveling through the waters of New England . The Navy Yard was first used for laying up inactive ships . The Congressional appropriations were small and the Navy had little need for the Yard , which was actually closed from 1898 to 1900 and its personnel reassigned . This new yard was primarily used as a coaling station by Atlantic Fleet small craft . It is located in the towns of Groton and Ledyard . By 1912 , oil replaced coal in warships and again the Yard was scheduled for closure and the land relinquished by the Navy . The Navy Yard was spared permanent closure in 1912 by an impassioned plea from local Congressman Edwin W . Higgins of Norwich , who was worried about the loss of Federal spending in the region . Strangely , Higgins thought it was cheaper for the Navy to keep the Yard open than pay for its closure . Within in six years , the Federal government would spend over a million dollars at the Yard . On October 13 , 1915 , the monitor , a submarine tender , and 4 submarine s arrived in Groton . With the war effort in Europe and the Atlantic in full swing , additional submarines and support craft arrived the following year and the facility was named as the Navy ' s first Submarine Base . The first Commander of the Yard was retired Commodore Timothy A . Hunt , who was called back to service . Living in New Haven , Commodore Hunt used the Central Hotel on State Street , New London when in town to attend to Yard duties on an “ as needed ” basis . Despite being physically located in the Town of Groton , the name New London became associated with the Navy Yard . Although physically located in Groton , CT , the base had their main offices and housing in the larger city of New London , hence was christened as Naval Submarine Base New London . Following World War I , the Navy established schools and training facilities at the base . The first diesel - powered submarine , , was commissioned in Groton on February 14 , 1912 . On June 21 , 1916 , the Navy Yard changed forever as Commander Yeates Stirling assumed the command of the newly designated Submarine Base , the New London Submarine Flotilla , and the Submarine School . The Base property expanded during the latter part of World War I . Congress approved over a million dollars for Base real estate and facilities expansion . By the end of the war , 81 buildings had been built to support 1400 men and 20 submarines . With victory in hand , the land expansion of the Base was slowed through much of the 1920s . However , the Great Depression of the 1930s saw an expansion and enhancement of the physical plant of the Base . President Franklin Roosevelt created a series of Federal Government employment programs that contributed significantly to the Submarine Base . Over 26 high quality warehouses , barracks and workshops were built at the base under these Federal job - spending programs . The second largest expansion of Submarine Base New London occurred during World War II , when it grew from 112 acres to 497 acres . The Submarine Force leaped in size , and the Base accommodated thousands of men to service the growing combat fleet . Immediately after WWII the Submarine Force was significantly reduced and many famous submarines were sent into storage . Most of the World War II fleet was sold for scrap metal during the early 1960s . On January 21 , 1954 the first nuclear - powered submarine , the , was launched from Groton . became the first vessel to transit the North Pole during an historic trip across the Arctic in 1958 . It was retired from service in 1980 . In 1982 the " Nautilus " was designated a National Historic Landmark in Groton . It is permanently moored south of the main gate , attached to the U . S . Submarine Force Museum . Self - guided tours are available to the public every day except Tuesday . The museum ' s collections include more than 33 , 000 artifacts , 20 , 000 significant documents and 30 , 000 photographs . As homeport to fifteen attack submarine s and neighbor to a major submarine construction yard , General Dynamics ' Electric Boat Corporation , all Officer and Enlisted submariners with the exception of nuclear trained Electronics Technicians ( ETs ) , Electrician ' s Mates ( EMs ) , and Machinist Mates ( MMs ) , will be stationed at Groton for training , on board an attack submarine or with a pre - commissioning crew for a new submarine . Enlisted sailors attending sub school will first go through Basic Enlisted Sub School ( BESS ) , an 8 week program that teaches the rigors of undersea life . BESS includes training in shoring , patching leaks and ruptured pipes , firefighting , and boat handling techniques . After BESS , sailors will either go to a boat or to follow - on schools . Schools include BMS , AUXPAC , ATT , TCNO , or an A school , depending on their rating . The A Schools housed at NAVSUBASE NLON are SECF , SCERF , AUXPAC , TM " A " . The main base occupies more than 687 acres ( 3 km² ) plus over 530 acres ( 2 km² ) of family housing and is homeport to fifteen attack submarines . The base also supports more than 70 tenant commands including , Commander Navy Region Northeast ( CNRNE ) , Commander Submarine Group Two ( CSG2 ) , Naval Submarine School ( NAVSUBSCOL ) , Naval Submarine Support Facility ( NSSF ) , three Submarine Squadron staffs , and the housing and support facilities for more than 21 , 000 civilian workers , active - duty service members and their families . Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory . Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory ' s mission is to protect the health and enhance the performance of United States War Fighters through focused submarine , diving , and surface research solutions . Base Realignment and Proposed Closure , 2005 . On May 13 , 2005 , the Pentagon recommended that the base be closed . After review , the Base Realignment and Closure commission voted on August 24 , 2005 to strike New London from the list of possible closures , thus allowing the base to remain open .