An Awe-Inspiring Tour Of The Navy's Most Important Submarine Base

Naval Submarine Base New London is one of the US Navy's most important and fascinating facilities.

Located along the eastern bank of the Thames River in Groton, Connecticut, New London serves as the home of fifteen attack-class submarines, the largest single contingent of subs in the US Navy. The submarines serve throughout the world, including beneath the polar ice cap.

Almost every sailor serving aboard a submarine will pass through New London for some kind of training. The base is known as "home of the submarine force," although personnel at the base like to call New London the "submarine capital of the world."

Steeped in history, Submarine Base New London was the first port to host US submarines in 1915, prior to the country's entrance into World War I. Since then, the base has continuously expanded as the US has grown into the world's largest naval power, with the most advanced submarine fleet of any country.

In October, Business Insider was given an all-encompassing tour of the base and its operations.

Naval Submarine Base New London started as a Naval Yard and Storage Depot in 1868 but didn't host submarines until 1915, two years before the US entered World War I.

Since its founding, New London has continuously grown. In the 1960s, the base had expanded beyond the waterfront and into the surrounding hills.

Today the base is the home port of fifteen attack subs, and its ten piers allow it to berth 18 subs. Even so, the base has plans to expand over the next two decades.