Groton — Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday announced nearly $7.8 million in state funding to improve the Naval Submarine Base’s waterfront as the state continues to invest in the base.
Capt. Kenneth M. Curtin, Jr., the base’s commanding officer, said work to replace the base’s small craft floating piers and reconstruct a boat ramp will allow the base to keep more harbor security boats and small craft in the water.
The updated infrastructure will also accommodate larger vessels, Lamont said.
Curtin said the upgrades will enhance the Navy’s ability to support the U.S. Coast Guard and respond to any potential environmental disasters in the Thames River.
Joined by Navy sailors at the floating piers along the river during a news conference, Lamont and Curtin ceremonially initialed documents of the state’s offer of funding and the Secretary of the Navy’s acceptance.
It truly highlights a rare partnership that Connecticut, the Navy and the SUBASE enjoy every single day,” Curtin said.
Lamont highlighted the partnership between the state and the Navy. He said in response to a reporter’s question that during potential base closure deliberations in the 2000s, Connecticut mobilized to save it. He highlighted the base’s jobs and contractors’ frequent work here.
Curtin said more than 6,000 sailors and civilians call the base home.
Lamont said the submarine base is a big piece of the state’s economy and future, and having Electric Boat nearby is part of that synergy.
“It means a lot to the state,” Lamont said. “We also want to do it because it’s the right thing to do.”
New floating piers will accommodate larger vessels
Curtin highlighted the need for the project in explaining that over the years, some of the floating piers have fallen into disrepair, while the base also has to accommodate larger vessels.
He said oil spill response vessels are currently housed on boat trailers as they won’t fit at the piers. While the vessels still can get into the water fast enough if there were a spill, the new larger docks, with more slips, will accommodate the vessels and allow them to respond more quickly to any spill.
He said the boat ramp is also old, and it’s challenging for larger boats to make the turn in and out of the water.
Navy Secretary John Phelan wrote in a May letter to Lamont that the “projects will ensure the small boats that we rely on to secure our base, perform various maintenance tasks, and respond to emergencies have the proper facilities needed for their safe and efficient operations.”
He highlighted that the upgraded infrastructure will provide the security forces that escort submarines, as well as naval facilities technicians, safe and efficient access to their vessels. He also wrote that it also will improve the base’s readiness to respond, if ever needed, to oil spills in environmentally sensitive areas of the Thames River.
State investment in the base
Curtin said that in 1867 the people of Connecticut gave land to the Navy for the base, and since 2007 the state has been more involved and created a bond fund to “enhance the military value” of the base. He said the investment announced Thursday is the latest in the state’s continuing efforts to enhance the base’s infrastructure and complement larger federal investments.
In the 2000s, after the submarine base was saved from a potential closure, the state developed a plan to prevent another potential closure from ever happening again, Curtin said. That plan included creating the state Office of Military Affairs and the bond fund to help offset the base’s infrastructure costs.
The governor’s office cited nearly $23 million in state investments at the base since 2009.
The state has funded projects that include a diver support facility, power plant boiler replacement, design support for the base’s micro-grid, a full-size replica of a Virginia-class submarine’s galley for training use, and an addition to Nimitz Hall to house a Submarine Bridge Trainer, Curtin said.
When asked, Lamont said he has not heard of any recent threats to close the submarine base.
“You never know, but I can tell you the location of this base is more important than it’s ever been before,” Lamont said. “Look at what’s happening in the North Atlantic. You see what’s happening in the Arctic region. This base is very important to the defense of our country.
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