State of Connecticut officials gave the Naval Submarine Base New London almost $7.8 million in state bonding grants for two infrastructure projects.
“This project will enhance mission execution,” said Capt. Kenneth Curtin Jr. at a press conference on Aug. 28. Curtin is the commanding officer of the Naval Submarine Base. “It will improve our ability to keep and support more harbor security boats and small crafts in the water, it will improve our ability to support our sea-service partners in the United States Coast Guard, and our ability to provide environmental response along the Thames River, fighting potential disasters.”
Around $7.7 million will go toward upgrading a dock to make it larger and embed power and water pumping systems in it, according to Curtin. Currently, the dock is too small for larger vessels, including oil response vessels, to be kept in the pier. Those vessels are kept in a nearby shipyard and lowered into the water when they are needed, which slows down response time.
“Could we execute the mission for a few more years without replacing these right now? Yes. Would it be as efficient and as effective? No,” Curtin said. “By the state coming in and helping support our ability here, it makes me more efficient and more effective in a more timely manner.”
The rest of the money will go to upgrading an aging boat ramp. The boat ramp has an eroded bottom, which makes it difficult to move large vessels in the water during low tide, and has a sharp turn at the end, which is difficult for large vessels to navigate around, Curtin said.
“You don’t stay the submarine capital of the world by standing still,” Gov. Ned Lamont said at the press conference. “You do it by having some of the best submarines in the world that are made right down the street here at EB (Electric Boat), you do it by having some of the very best trained professional sailors and engineers.”
Naval Base New London was first established as a navy yard and storage depot in 1868. It became a dedicated submarine base in 1916 and was the first submarine base in the country.
“You’ve got to continually upgrade it, make sure you have the very best infrastructure and facilities to make sure we have the very best infrastructure and defense in the world,” Lamont said.
The Naval Base has faced hard times in the past. It almost closed 20 years ago when the Navy started scaling back its submarine fleet.
In response to the near-closure, the state of Connecticut created an Office of Military Affairs and began allocating money toward military projects in the state.
Presently, around 6,000 enlisted sailors and civilians work at the naval base, according to Curtin. The base also houses 15 submarines.
“This is 6,000 jobs, this is lots of contractors doing work here all the time, a big piece of our economy, a big piece of our future, and having EB next door is part of the synergy here,” Lamont said. “It means a lot to the state, and we also want to do it because this is the right thing to do.”
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