Why Defenders?
October 17, 2005 - Eastern League (EL1)
Connecticut Defenders News Release
The Defense industry has long been rooted in Connecticut, highlighted, of course, by the United States Submarine Base and Coast Guard Academy located in Groton and New London. But there is a rich history of key figures and memorable moments from the Nutmeg state which has been an integral part of shaping America.
United States Submarine Base. Located on the Thames River in Groton the United States Submarine Base is home to 40 tenant commands, including the submarines and crews of Submarine Group Two, the Sub School, the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics and the Submarine Support Facility. The base supports 21 attack subs and the Navy's nuclear research deep submersible NR-1. Their 500 acres also cover housing and support for 10,000 active duty and civilian workers and their families. In 1868 Connecticut gave the land to the Navy which first used it as a Navy Yard in 1872. In 1916 it was converted to a submarine base and gave birth to the countries' submarine force. By 1959 it had become the largest sub base in the world at the time.
The future of the Sub Base looked bleak in early 2005 when the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) recommended Connecticut's base for closure. Most of the base would be split between Norfolk, Virginia and Kings Bay, Georgia. The Department of Defense estimated the closure could result in over 15,000 lost jobs between 2006 and 2011, or 9.4 percent of the Norwich/New London economic area employment. The community rallied, however, and efforts were underway to keep the Base open, including a rally at Dodd Stadium on June 14 led by Governor M. Jodi Rell. The hard work by the Save Our Sub Base Committee and thousands of Connecticut citizens, politicians and media paid off when on August 24 the Department of Defense announced that the Sub Base would remain open.
USS Nautilus. On June 14, 1952 President Harry S. Truman laid the keel of the USS Nautilus at the Electric Boat Shipyard in Groton, officially beginning the construction of the world's first nuclear powered submarine. The remarkable ship was launched January 21, 1954 by First Lady Mamie Eisenhower. As expected, the Nautilus quickly shattered all submerged speed and distance records. Her most historic accomplishment, however, came on August 3, 1958 when the ship, with a crew of 116 men, reached the geographic North Pole. The Nautilus was decommissioned on March 3, 1980 and designated a National Historic Landmark May 20, 1982. On April 11, 1986 - 86 years to the day after the birth of the submarine force - the Nautilus was opened to the public along with the Submarine Force Museum.
United States Coast Guard Academy. The United States Coast Guard Academy sets on the Thames River in New London and provides a four-year Bachelor of Science program that annually commissions around 175 ensigns each May. The Academy is the oldest life-saving service in the world. It began with the School of Instruction for the Revenue Marine in 1876 and became the Academy we know today in 1915 with the merger of the Life Saving Service and Revenue Cutter Service. In 1932 it was moved to its present location.
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle. The Eagle is the largest tall ship flying the American flag and the only square-rigger in United States government service. The ship is a training vessel for Coast Guard Academy cadets and officer candidates. It was actually built in 1936 by the Blohm and Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany and commissioned as the Horst Wessel and used as a training vessel by Nazi Germany. In 1946 She was taken by the United States as a war prize and sailed by a U.S. Coast Guard crew from Bremerhaven, Germany to its new home in New London.
Connecticut National Guard. The Connecticut National Guard is comprised of over 1,000 full-time employees and 5,000 part-time solders and airmen. There are 23 different National Guard units in Connecticut, including the 248th Engineer Company and Battery A, 2nd Battalion 192 Field Artillery of Norwich. Brave Connecticut men and women have served as part of the Guard from the Revolutionary War to Iraq. Perhaps the most celebrated day at Dodd Stadium came July 18, 2004 when national, state, and local political leaders were on hand to officially welcome home National Guard units deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The political contingent was led by Governor M. Jodi Rell, and United States Senators Chris Dodd and Joseph Lieberman.
Contributions and Notable Characters. Connecticut has been the keystone throughout many of America's conflicts. The Sub Base has played a vital role in every military action taken since the turn of the century...Fort Trumble, located in New London, first went under construction in 1839. It has served as the location of military forts, schools and research facilities for the Army, Coast Guard and Navy. It was built to protect the New London Harbor from British attack during the Revolutionary War...Connecticut's First Company Governor's Foot Guard and First Company Governor's Horse Guard has the longest continuous record of service of any military unit in the United States...during the Civil War Connecticut contributed over 54,000 soldiers to the Union Army, including two African-American regiments that served with distinction while Connecticut industry produced guns, artillery, steam engines and warships...during World War I Liberty bonds were sold to help finance the war. Connecticut citizens purchased the largest amount of Liberty bonds of any state in the Union with over 437-million dollars raised...one of the most well-known quotes from the battlefield came from General Israel Putnam who spent most of his life working his Connecticut farm. It was during the battle at Bunker Hill in 1775 when Putnam said "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes"....Finally, there is the legend of Stubby, probably the most decorated and heroic dog of all time. In April of 1917 Connecticut troops were gathered in preparation for deployment to Europe in World War I. It was during this time when a mutt wondered into the camp. He was quickly adopted by the troops, named Stubby, and then smuggled aboard ship in an overcoat. Stubby served with distinction. At first he did his part by occasionally providing early warning to gas attacks and waking a sleeping sentry to a German attack. In 1918 as the Americans were taking Schieprey Stubby was wounded in the foreleg by a grenade. In Argonne he ferreted out a German spy and held on to him by the seat of his pants until soldiers arrived to complete the capture. Stubby was gassed many times and even spent time in the hospital when his master, Corporal J. Robert Conroy, was wounded. Upon returning home Stubby was so popular that he was given a lifetime membership to the American Legion, Red Cross and YMCA. He marched in every Legion parade from the end of the war until he died. He met three United States presidents - Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge. In 1921 General Blackjack Pershing, the supreme commander of American Forces, pinned Stubby with a gold hero dog's medal. When Conroy went to Georgetown to study law Stubby went along and became the team's mascot. At half-time of the football games he would play with a football on the field, a spectacle that is thought by many to be the origin of modern football's half-time shows.
Eastern League Stories from October 17, 2005
- Why Defenders? - Connecticut Defenders
- Navigators now Connecticut Defenders - Connecticut Defenders
- Aeros Dynamics - Akron RubberDucks
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
