SUBASE NEW LONDON TO BE CLOSED - EB Probably not far behind.

[u-5075]

SuBase, New London was on the announced-today hit list. A few months ago the scuttlebut was that if the SuBase went, then EB would probably not be staying there much longer. Quite a few years ago there was some discussion about moving the base to the Montauk Point area (that's on the eastern-most tip of Long Island).

The SuBase and EB are the two biggest employers in the Greater New London area. Otherwise "In the summer there are the beaches. In the winter there are the bars." This area will be hit hard.

[boss subfixer]

Time will tell. The base

Time will tell. The base has been on the hook before and it's still here. I'm not saying that it won't close, I'm just saying it's not over til the rotund lady sings and by the way she is still in her dressing room. As far as Electric Boat not being too far behind, it was put out to us, the employees that the yard would remain open. That too is subject to change without prior notice. The whole situation is just wait and see, and while your waiting you fight like h@#$.
Just my 2 cents
BSF

[anonymous]

Once upon a time, the

Once upon a time, the CT economy was one of the biggest around. Probably bigger than many sovereign nations. EB, PWA, Sikorsky, etc. all generating tons o' jobs/cash. Not to mention the incredible cranial resources. Now who's left? Seems to me two of the bigger employers in the area are Foxwoods and Mohegan.
Very sad if it does come to pass. So much will be lost.



Edited By expfcwintergreen on 1116030442

[seadragon021]

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is also

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is also on the BRAC list. We at Electric Boat are anticipating that a good portion of their overhaul work will be coming our way in the future, since we consistently send people to Portsmouth to assist them anyway. This in turn should help balance out any potential work lost by the closing of the Groton base. Electric Boat will not pack up and leave just because the Groton base closes.

[anonymous]

I agree with you Seadragon.

I agree with you Seadragon. EB is too entrenched, it is also a private corporation, not a government establishment. They have plenty of work to do, SSBN to SSGN conversion work (EB west in Washington state). Advanced projects, Seawolf upkeep. The huge Virginia SSN building program co building with Newport News. Also our 688 boats are not getting any younger. Upgrades to Los Angeles SSN work.

Nothing was mentioned about the Navy's submarine school? Is this unaffected? I cannot imagine nuclear submarine training being contracted out to a University of Phoenix Internet course. The news media makes it to be a huge hole left after the base is closed. It maybe more a detached portion from the outer ring of that local important infrastructure in reality. Of course, tell that to the folks losing their jobs or it's effect on the local economy. Many here in California went through this big time in the early 90's. We were hit very hard then, and adapted. We all must adapt or die, even the SubCommittee.

Steve Reichmuth



Edited By Dolphin on 1116088865

[boss subfixer]

Gentlemen,
Here is something else not

Gentlemen,
Here is something else not mentioned, The other industry around here in Connecticut is tourism. If the base closes then one of our historical monuments will more than likely go away. The Nautilus. She is manned by a small navy crew to perform the necessary maintenance that is required on what is left of her reactor systems. What will become of this piece of history? Worst case is she will be scrapped. If the Nautilus goes away then there would be no real reason to keep the rest of the museum open, after all the Nautilus is the crowned jewel of the museum. As far as the sub school goes, it would not be that difficult to move to another location, like Virginia.

[anonymous]

SSN-571 scrapped or left to

SSN-571 scrapped or left to rot?

No, cannot happen. Nautilus SSN-571 is a designated National Historical Monument. And that is that. The museum and the Nautilus are linked.

Steve Reichmuth



Edited By Dolphin on 1116112736

[boss subfixer]

As I said that would

As I said that would be worst case. My post was based on a conversation I heard (first hand) by two very official looking gentlemen saying that if "they" (don't know who) cannot prove that they can properly take care of the Nautilus then it would go away. The reason I believe these men where legitimate is I've worked with government types for the past 23 years and have gotten pretty good at picking them out.The government still maintains control of the Nautilus, because of the few parts of the reactor system that are still there and can pretty much do what they want. I would imagine that instead of cutting her up they would more than likely relocate her. As I said before If they move her there is no reason to keep the rest of the museum here in groton. I know that in the grand scheme of things this is a pretty small stone in the wall of this regions economy but if you lose as many jobs in an area as they are talking about then every stone counts and should not be overlooked.

[u-5075]

20-20 HINDSIGHT, two bases.
At Hanscom

20-20 HINDSIGHT, two bases.
At Hanscom AFB, Lexington, MA they had been updating the buildings and putting a number of brand new ones. Additionally they have been getting more and more top-heavy with generals. The generals had been going to many top-level meetings of some sort. The recent news is not only will Hanscom be not moving, they will be growing -- thus the reason for the heavyweight management entering the scene.

In contrast, the last time I was at SuBase New London it was for the last SubRegatta there. It was on a weekend, but the place was looking older, sadder, and more battered with age. And the military housing in the general area did not appear to be as occupied as many years before.

[anonymous]

Steve,
The Submarine School will

Steve,
The Submarine School will be relocated to King's Bay, Ga., as will at least one SSN submarine squadron This should be interesting, as I have heard that there is inadequate housing in that area, and many live just a few miles away in (drum roll, please) Florida(!!). That area is also a major hurricane magnet. When I was on the New London base recently, I noted a fair number of relatively new buildings at the Sub School, and several upgrades had just been made to some facilities.

As far as the Submarine Force Museum & Library, there was an article in the New London Day indicating that they were staying. The disposition of the Nautilus was not mentioned, but it would be a real slap in the face to move her from the area. The Nautilus got a drydocking & overhaul at EB about three years ago. She is manned by Navy crews, and I wasn't aware of any remaining nuclear reactor items, as mentioned above. That would have a bearing on her fate.
Tom

[u-5075]

INSTALLATIONS’ READINESS REPORT UNCLASSIFIED
I came

INSTALLATIONS’ READINESS REPORT UNCLASSIFIED
I came across this whilst surfing.

Go to Google.com.
Use search words.......

"subase New London" "installations readiness report" 2002

You can use other more recent years too.
But Google gets you the HTML format which downloads faster.
(The HTML url address is a zillion miles long. And the pdf format's address is shorter.)

PDF] INSTALLATIONS’ READINESS REPORT UNCLASSIFIED
File Format]http://www.acq.osd.mil/ie/irm/irm_library/ReadiRptFY02.pdf[/url]

The info about SuBase New London is 3/4ths near the end.

[u-5075]

THE DEVIL IS IN THE

THE DEVIL IS IN THE (MANY) DETAILS. From the report above.

Page 90
At SUBASE New London, SUBSCOL facility components are at the
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Page 91
end of their useful life and are experiencing failures, which have disrupted and degraded training. SUBSCOL also lacks a facility to support the new MK-10 Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment submarine escape system. Current training facilities at NSGA Northwest do not meet AT/FP Warfare Development Center training initiatives.

Page 92
At SUBASE New London, magazines are undersized to support proper receipt, storage, and handling of Vertical Launch Tomahawk missiles for later versions of Los Angeles Class submarines and new Virginia Class submarines.

MEDICAL -- C-3The overall poor conditionof branch medical and dental clinics adversely impacts support to the sustainment of home-ported Navy forces.The building components and interior finishes of SUBASE New London’s dental clinic are at the end of their useful life and deteriorated. HVAC failures occur regularly, disrupting care and causing excessive discomfort to occupants and patients.

[carcharadon]

Steve,
The Submarine School will

Steve,
The Submarine School will be relocated to King's Bay, Ga., as will at least one SSN submarine squadron This should be interesting, as I have heard that there is inadequate housing in that area, and many live just a few miles away in (drum roll, please) Florida(!!). That area is also a major hurricane magnet.

We, on the Georgia coast, are grateful to North Carolina as a hurricane magnet and most recently Florida. Hugo on a path towards Savannah veered north to demolish Charleston. As best as I can recall, Georgia has not had a major hurricane in about 20-25 years. (Now that I've said that will probably get hit big-time) I think the last one was David, late 70s. Just for the record.

By the way, whatever happened to the Stratford Army Engine Plant? I know it was a BRAC closure, but did the town of Stratford ever do anything productive with it?

I think SE Georgia and Kings Bay can accommodate an increase, given some planning time. The isolation of the area is probably a security plus, however sedimentation rates in the channels are very high, with expensive dredging maintenance costs. Much of the silt and sediment come in from the ocean and settles in the deepened channels. Other naturally deep harbors, i.e. Seattle don't have this problem.

It's an awesome sight to see one of these modern-day war machines coming up the channel from the Atlantic. Was doing survey work in the channel one time when one of these subs came by real close.

[thordesign]

Guys,

I am currently working on

Guys,

I am currently working on a design team with Lockheed Martin in Ft. Worth, TX. The project is a system for our newest members of the Submarine Fleet. EB will not be shutting down in anyway. There are massive amounts of new weapons systems under development. EB figures prominently in all of them. From where I stand, EB looks to have a very bright future.

[boss subfixer]

It's not so much that

It's not so much that E.B. will shut down and just cease to exist, but they could shut down in groton and relocate to a cheaper lacation. They already have toe holds in other areas of the country. They say they won't but my 23 years with the company tells me that could be subject to change without prior notice. (check the fine print).