Exploring Connecticut’s Submarine Legacy: Home of the Submarine Force and the USS Nautilus
Welcome back to another edition inspired by explorations with the “Travel in Time Show,” hosted by Dan Blanchard! This time, we’re diving deep into the fascinating history of submarines, specifically right here in Groton, Connecticut, at the Submarine Museum and the base known as the “home of the submarine force,” and the “submarine capital of the world.”
Connecticut boasts a long and storied history with the Navy and submarines, tracing back much further than you might think. Did you know that even during the Revolutionary War, a Connecticut inventor named David Bushnell created a small submarine? He famously sailed it underwater in an attempt to plant an explosive on a British warship. He came incredibly close to succeeding, almost achieving his goal, but it didn’t quite work out. Nevertheless, this early endeavor “really got the ball rolling on Navy warfare underwater.”
Fast forward many years, to just after the Civil War, and we can see how the area in Groton, Connecticut, started as a Navy yard, primarily used for “parking” unused Navy boats. This phase eventually “ran its course,” and plans were made to shut it down. However, community and political leaders advocated for its preservation, transforming it into a coal fueling station, which they called a coaling station for boats, mainly those from New England.
Around 1912, as oil began replacing coal, the site faced potential closure once again. But history repeated itself; community members and local politicians rallied with a “grassroots movement” and “real leadership” to keep the base open. Their efforts were successful, leading to the establishment and operation of the first submarine base in the United States right there in Groton, CT. This base quickly became the premier submarine base on the East Coast and in the United States. Making this possible required significant involvement from both the community and the business sector, notably General Dynamics Electric Boat, which established its shipyard and engaged in “mass production industrialization”.
It was in this historic area that a vessel that would change submarine warfare forever was created: the USS Nautilus. Launched in 1954, the USS Nautilus was the world’s first nuclear submarine. Its capabilities were revolutionary. This submarine could remain underwater for an incredibly long time, potentially up to a year, without needing to refuel. It could also hide on the bottom of the ocean, virtually anywhere in the world, and was described as “undetectable,” making the nuclear submarine the military’s “fiercest and dangerous weapon” and the “big bad boys of the military.”
Today, the base in Groton is home to modern vessels like the Virginia-class submarines, considered the “top-notch military submarines of the modern-day Navy.” The area’s importance to submarine technology is underscored by figures like John P. Holland, mentioned as the “father of the modern-day nuclear submarine warfare program,” and Connecticut’s reputation as the “best submarine place pretty much in the United States, maybe the world.”
Beyond the impressive machinery and history, Groton is also home to the Submarine School. This institution is a hub for Navy leadership training, with officers from across the country coming here to train. The military is known for providing “some of the best leadership training you will find anywhere,” and this is happening “right under our noses” in Connecticut. One can find some of the “best leadership in the world going on” right here in Groton, CT. The community and local politicians themselves have already demonstrated a long history of significant leadership by successfully fighting to keep the base open not once, but twice, saving and providing “tens of thousands of jobs” and making the area a powerhouse, and the envy of the world.
The museum in Groton, where the USS Nautilus can be seen, as well as some other cool-looking subs, honors that huge tradition that Connecticut has in submarines. Connecticut has set the bar pretty high for submarines and underwater warfare.
If you haven’t had the chance to travel down to Groton, Connecticut, to explore this area and see the USS Nautilus, you should. It’s a place where one can mix some travel with some history with some leadership lessons.
This is Dan Blanchard from the Travel in Time Show, encouraging you to check out this Connecticut historical gem
Thanks for joining me on today’s Travel in Time journey, where travel, history, and leadership intertwine with me, Dan Blanchard. See you soon.
*Check out Dan’s historical leadership book series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BN8XS8XS?binding=kindle_edition&searchxofy=true&ref_=dbs_s_aps_series_rwt_tkin&qid=1746200479&sr=8-1
*Watch Dan’s YouTube video about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUMDRqY0gXo&t=1s
*Listen to Dan’s podcast about this: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/daniel-blanchard84/episodes/Travel-in-Time-Episode-11-CT-Submarine-Museum-and-USS-Nautilus-e33ueok
*Learn more about Dan: www.GranddaddysSecrets.com