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Black and white photograph of a submarine draped in American flags on the water.

Electric Boat: From Innovation Trials to WWII Submarine Leadership

US submarines accounted for 63 percent of all Japanese ships sunk during WWII—Electric Boat’s vessels were responsible for a significant number of these successful outcomes.

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Historic photo of the Ebenezer Avery House, Groton

The Ebenezer Avery House – Who Knew?

The Ebenezer Avery House in Groton once served as a hospital for the wounded after the Revolutionary War’s Battle of Groton Heights on September 6, 1781.

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Blue background with a seal in the middle. Banner under the seal with Latin words.

Connecticut’s Official State Flag – Who Knew?

While Connecticut used variations of flags for state functions, the legislature did not adopt an official state flag until 1897.

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Mystic River Bridge

Mystic River Bridge Opens – Today in History: July 19

July 19, 2022 • Groton, Transportation

On July 19, 1922, the Mystic River Bridge spanning the Mystic River in Groton opened to the public.

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USS George Washington (SSBN 589)

USS George Washington Launched – Today in History: June 9

June 9, 2021 • Groton, War and Defense

On June 9, 1959, the first nuclear-powered, ballistic-missile submarine, the USS George Washington (SSBN 598), was launched at Groton.

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Navy Steamship Galena, 1861

Ironclad Commissioned – Today in History: April 21

April 21, 2021 • Civil War, Groton, War and Defense

On April 21, 1862, the USS Galena was commissioned with a crew of 160 men.

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Postcard of New London Bridge on Thames River, New London, Conn.

I-95 Reaches New London

The arrival of I-95 to New London brought tremendous change to the city’s infrastructure, as well as to its businesses and neighborhoods.

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Effect of Confederate shot on the USS Galena, 1862

Mystic-built USS Galena Part of Plan to Strengthen Union Navy

This 950-ton, steam-propelled gunboat took fire from critics and Confederates during the Civil War.

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Mamie Eisenhower launches the USS Nautilus

The Launch of the USS Nautilus – Today in History: January 21

On January 21, 1954, First Lady Mamie Eisenhower launched the world’s first nuclear submarine at the General Dynamics Shipyard in Groton.

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State Street and Old Ferry Landing, New London

New London’s Ferries: A Transportation Tradition

December 16, 2020 • Groton, New London, Transportation

For more than three centuries, ferry service has provided vital transportation to residents and businesses around New London.

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Pierre Eugene Du Simetière, Silas Deane. Member of Congress

The Rise and Fall of Silas Deane, American Patriot

Esteemed by his fellow patriots as a savvy diplomat who helped cement a strategic alliance with France during the American Revolution, Deane spent his final years under a cloud of suspicion.

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Fort Griswold, 1781

Fort Griswold Attacked – Today in History: September 6

On September 6, 1781, British forces overtook Fort Griswold and killed many of the Patriots who had surrendered.

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Honiss Oyster House, Hartford

Oystering in Connecticut, from Colonial Times to the 21st Century

Why tasty Crassostrea virginica deserves its honored title as state shellfish.

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USS Nautilus

USS Nautilus Passes Under North Pole – Today in History: August 3

On August 3, 1958, the USS Nautilus (SSN-571) made history by becoming the first ship to pass underneath the North Pole.

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Launching of the Nautilus

Launching of the USS Nautilus 1954

The building of the Nautilus helped Groton sustain its title of “Submarine Building Capital of the World.” 

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Henry Davis

Cleopatra’s Needle and Groton’s Captain Davis – Who Knew?

Cleopatra’s Needle, the Egyptian obelisk erected in Central Park across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, arrived safely from Egypt due to the ingenuity of Noank’s Henry E. Davis.

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USS Tullibee

USS Tullibee – Today in History: April 27

On April 27, 1960, the USS Tullibee, the first atomic submarine to use turbo-electric propulsion, was launched.

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Fred. J. Hoertz, Your work means victory: Build another one

Freighter Worcester Launched – Today in History: April 5

On April 5, 1919, the freighter Worcester was launched in Groton in support of the war effort for the Emergency Fleet Corporation of the US Shipping Board.

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HMS Resolution and Discovery in Tahiti

John Ledyard, Connecticut’s Most Famous Traveler

January 27, 2020 • Exploration and Discovery, Groton

This intrepid voyager, one of the most adventurous figures in Connecticut’s long history, would have made a great fictional character had he not been real.

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Training and rescue submarine S-4 submerging

Video – Undersea University – US Navy’s Submarine School

1965 film of the US Naval Submarine Base New London submarine training school produced by the US government.

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Echoes of the Old World: The Architectural Legacy of Ithiel Town

Ithiel Town was one of the first professional architects in Connecticut and one of the first to introduce the architectural styles of Europe to the United States.

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Over Time: Groton’s Historical Population

April 3, 2014 • Hide Featured Image, Groton

Census data, from colonial times on up to the present, is a key resource for those who study the ways in which communities change with the passage of time.

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Fort Griswold

Fort Griswold and the Battle of Groton Heights 1781

East of the Thames River, on Groton Heights, Fort Griswold stands commanding the New London Harbor and the surrounding countryside.

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John Warner Barber, Groton Monument and Fort Griswold

Blood on the Hill: The Battle of Groton Heights, September 6, 1781

Public passions were stirred by reports of a “massacre” at Fort Griswold and its particulars remain a topic of debate to this day.

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Pequot bowl, trade item, 17th century

Causes of the Pequot War

The outbreak of the Pequot War is best understood through an examination of the cultural, political, and economic changes after the arrival of the Dutch (1611) and English (early 1630s).

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