Welcome to the Navy's "First and Finest Submarine Base."

We take pride in providing outstanding service for all newcomers to the installation. Whatever your status - military, civil service, contractor, family member, full-time employee, or student - we are committed to providing you the highest quality programs, facilities, and services available.

We hope you use this guide as an overview of base services available to all newcomers and families at SUBASE. This booklet is designed to augment information provided to you by your command sponsor and the Welcome Aboard Center, located in the Fleet and Family Support Center.

Regardless of the distance involved with moving, the number of previous moves, or the fact that you may have visited SUBASE New London before; we all experience some amount of trepidation in finding a new place to live, moving household goods, obtaining information on local schools, learning about the community "outside" the fence, and selecting where to go for off-duty recreational activities.

Becoming familiar with a new area or base represents one of the biggest challenges involved in moving. We hope that the information provided in this guide will assist in making your move easier.

We are extremely excited about a new housing program that is enabling us to provide quality new and renovated rental homes for our military families.

In 2004, the Navy signed a public private housing contract with a private developer - GMH Military Housing. Under the contract, we privatized over 2,100 older government homes and turned them over to the developer to manage and maintain. In return, the developer is spending nearly $300 million to construct 540 new homes and renovate another 275 homes for military families.

In addition, the developer is managing and maintaining 525 previously renovated homes, but many of the remaining houses - constructed in the 1960s - are being demolished. When complete, GMH will manage and maintain approximately 1,500 new and renovated homes for government families in eight military communities. Rent and utility costs will be covered by Basic Allowance for Housing.

Groundbreaking on the new homes began in February 2005, and we are now accepting applications for new and renovated single family homes, townhouses and duplexes. In addition to many home amenities, GMH will provide us two new community centers, two swimming pools, 12 playgrounds, and 28 bus shelters. By privatizing military housing, we are able to offer our military families outstanding, affordable homes now... not 10 to 20 years from now as can be the case through military construction programs.

We also take great pride in providing off-duty activities for all members of the SUBASE community. Sometimes this proves a challenge. Just within our military population, we realize the diversity: 65 percent are single, 35 percent are married, 30-40 percent live on base in barracks, 35-40 percent live in the local community; and 25-30 percent live in Family Housing. But we believe we provide a wide range of activities that offers something for everyone.

The Morale, Welfare and Recreation office provides many recreational and athletic activities, for young and not so young. Golf, bowling, outdoor sports, physical fitness ... the list goes on and on. Other agencies provide assistance for child-care, parenting, basic skills for living, budgeting and stress management, educational opportunities, employment assistance, spiritual guidance, legal assistance, new parent support, and a variety of other programs to meet your every need.

As the first submarine base, the significant history and honored traditions of our great Navy and submarine force are reflected in the names of our buildings and streets. Our heritage is also on public display at the Submarine Force Museum and Nautilus Exhibit, located adjacent to the base. I urge you to visit both.

But what makes SUBASE New London "the finest" is the exceptionally talented and dedicated people who carry out our mission - to support
fleet readiness by providing quality services and facilities to the submarine community and their families.

For this reason alone, I think you'll find that SUBASE is a great place to live and work!

NAVY'S FIRST SUBMARINE BASE

Naval Submarine Base New London is the Navy's first submarine base and is "Home of the Submarine Force." Every officer and nearly every enlisted Sailor in the submarine force will be assigned here at least one time during a military career, carrying on a tradition that is nearly a century old.

The history of Connecticut, the Navy, and submarines has been intertwined since the middle of the 1800s. In 1868, in an effort to help the Navy transition from sail to steam, the State of Connecticut gave the Navy 112 acres 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. This new yard was primarily used as a coaling station by Atlantic Fleet small craft.

Meanwhile an inventor from Connec-ticut, John Philip Holland, began tinkering on a 54-foot submersible. In 1899, financier Isaac Rice founded Electric Boat Company and one year later completed Holland's "submersible," considered the world's first practical submarine, marking the beginning of the U.S. Submarine Force.

During World War I and shortly thereafter, Electric Boat received orders to build 85 submarines for the U.S. Navy, starting a ship-building dynasty that lives to this day.

About the same time - on October 13, 1915 - the monitor Ozark, a submarine tender, and four submarines arrived at the Navy Ship Yard in Groton, Conn. With the war effort in Europe and the Atlantic in full swing, additional submarines and support craft arrived the following year and the facility became the Navy's first submarine base.

Although physically located in Groton, the base had its main offices and housing in the larger city of New London, so it was christened as Naval Submarine Base New London.

The conversion came just in time. Soon America was caught up in World War I, and the base rapidly expanded to keep up with wartime demands for submarines and crews. Submarines were outfitted, serviced and homeported, and more than 10,000 officers and men were trained here for the new "Silent Service."

Following World War I, the submarine force was reduced, but the Navy established new schools and training facilities at the base. Unfortunately, the peace that followed the "war to end all wars" was short-lived. With the start of World War II, the submarine force was strengthened; mothballed vessels were recommissioned; new boats were built; and facilities were added as part of a rapid wartime expansion. Many of the submarines and crews, outfitted and trained at Naval Submarine Base New London, fought and won the war in the Pacific halfway around the world.

Today, Naval Submarine Base New London, located on the east side of Thames River in Groton, Conn., still proudly proclaims its motto: "The First and Finest."

As home port to 18 nuclear attack submarines, a nuclear submarine research vessel, a submarine school, and neighbor to our nation's largest submarine construction yard, nearly all officers and enlisted Sailors will be assigned here some time during their military careers.

The main base occupies more than 687 acres with 160 major facilities, and 11 barracks with 1,652 living units. It supports more than 70 tenant commands including Commander Submarine Group 2, Naval Submarine School, Naval Submarine Support Facility, three submarine squadron staffs, and the housing and support facilities for more than 21,000 civilian workers, active-duty service members and their families. Included are nearly 1,800 to 2,200 students who are going through training here on any given date.