How Sub Base New London Coped with Hurricane Irene

Naval Submarine Base New London is located in the Connecticut community of Groton, on the east bank of the Thames River. It is home to a number of Navy units, including the Navy Submarine School. As Hurricane Irene approached the United States, four Los Angeles class nuclear submarines were in port for routine maintenance.

The base and its tenant commands have long had plans on how to handle a hurricane. The Installation Emergency Management Plan identified vulnerabilities, and directed procedures for such a storm.

Submarine Group 2 sortied the four submarines in port. These boats were sent to deeper water where they could submerge and avoid the storm. Among the boats sent to sea were the USS Hartford and the USS Providence. The subs returned to port on August 30.

Base personnel were joined by students from the Submarine School as they placed some 22,000 sandbags at vulnerable points on the base. These sandbags and other precautions were intended to protect waterfront buildings from the expected storm surge.

As the subs went to sea, a number of other vessels took refuge at the base. The Coast Guard's barque Eagle, a sailing vessel used for training, and the CG cutter Morro Bay moved from their more exposed locations to shelter at the base. The Department of Homeland Security moved its Plum Island ferries to the base, as well.

The eastern bank of the river received some surge during the storm. The base was closed, with only essential personnel aboard. Some lower portions of the base were flooded but overall there was little damage. The surge was lower than predicted, some four feet recorded just after noon on the 28th. The base was back in action on Monday, August 29.