Carter recalled as champion of sub base
The Day
By: Brian Hallenbeck
December 30, 2024
Nearly 20 years ago, Jimmy Carter weighed in on the fate of the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, which was then hanging in the balance.
He may very well have tipped the scales in southeastern Connecticut’s favor.
A former submariner, Carter, who died Sunday, nearly three months after turning 100, trained at the Groton base and returned there from time to time following his Navy career and after serving as president from 1977 to 1981. He expressed his opinion of the base and the role it plays in the nation’s defense in an Aug. 15, 2005, letter he wrote to the chairman of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission that was then considering whether to shut down the base to increase efficiency and cut costs.
“I don’t profess to speak for other active and retired submariners, but I believe that, overwhelmingly, the consensus would be that transferring the submarine forces from New London would be militarily deleterious,” Carter wrote to Anthony Principi, the BRAC Commission chairman. “Abandonment and rebuilding facilities would be disruptive, there would be a great loss of the services of civilian personnel who have devoted their lives to the submarine force, and the move might overly concentrate our forces.”
Bob Ross, executive director of the state Office of Military Affairs, said Principi told him years later that Carter’s letter was “a game-changer,” the decisive factor in the commission’s decision to keep open SUBASE New London, the Groton base’s official name.
Principi told Ross that when he received the letter, he expected it to be a request to move all submarines on the East Coast to the Navy base in Kings Bay, Ga., in Carter’s home state.
Carter, who acknowledged the decision to establish Kings Bay as a major submarine base was made during his presidency, nevertheless sided with the Groton base.
“King's Bay could certainly be expanded to accommodate a larger contingent of ships and personnel, and this region would welcome the additional jobs that may be transferred from Connecticut.” he wrote. “However, I am concerned about the adverse economic impact on the New London area, the abandonment of a huge installation of facilities, and, less quantitatively, a loss of some of the proud submariners’ heritage of our historic association with service and training in New London.”
Ross said it would be hard to overestimate the impact of having Carter — a former president, a former governor of Georgia and a former submariner — recommend the Groton base be preserved.
“He did a wonderful thing for the state of Connecticut,” Ross said.
Mark Oefinger, Groton’s town manager at the time the BRAC process was unfolding, recalled Carter’s letter being “a gift” to the region — an unsolicited one at that, as far as he knows.
“What an honorable thing to do,” Oefinger said. “While the vast majority of us thought he was an honorable man, even honor has its limits when you’re talking about your home state. He had nothing to gain by supporting us and something to lose back home.”
'Grace and integrity'
Connecticut officials began to issue tributes to Carter within hours of the news late Sunday afternoon that he had died while in hospice care in his hometown of Plains, Ga.
“President Carter will be remembered in history as one of our nation’s most humble presidents, whose honorable service to the United States began when he enlisted in the Navy and was stationed for several years in Connecticut at Naval Submarine Base New London,” Gov. Ned Lamont said. “Upon being elected to office as governor of Georgia and continuing throughout his presidency, he championed many of the biggest and most notable causes of the era, including desegregation, human rights, early childhood development programs, prison reform, and more.”
He praised Carter’s post-presidency career as a volunteer peacekeeper in such places as Israel, Palestine, North Korea, South Africa and Syria.
“He carried himself with grace and integrity, treated others with dignity and respect regardless of whether they were a political ally or foe, and above all worked to implement policies that make our country a more equitable place for all to live and thrive,” Lamont said.
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz recalled meeting Carter while he was campaigning for then-Gov. Ella Grasso in Hartford and Bysiewicz was working for her high school newspaper. Carter patiently answered her questions, and the next year, his press secretary invited her high school newspaper’s staff to a presidential press conference at the White House.
“Experiences like these are what ultimately inspired me to pursue a career in public service, law, and advocacy,” Bysiewicz said.
U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, repeated an earlier tribute he delivered on the floor of the House of Representatives:
“America lost a great man today," he said. "President Jimmy Carter personified the highest form of public service, not just as governor and president, but as an ensign in the U.S. Navy who rose to be one of Adm. Hyman G. Rickover’s select officers at the birth of the 'Nuclear Navy.’
“In 2005, when the Navy sought to close Submarine Base New London, former President Carter stood by 'Team Connecticut’ in opposition to a plan which would have moved the base’s fleet to his home state of Georgia. His decision to support ‘Team Connecticut’ in the face of political pressure at home represents the integrity and honor he served with throughout his life.
“Today, eastern Connecticut maintains our proud role as Submarine Capital of the World thanks to former President Carter.”
U.S. Sen Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., called Carter “a public servant for all seasons.”
“The diversity and longevity of his public service is staggering — as a military officer, governor and president, home builder, health care activist, and much more,” Blumenthal said. “He certainly showed that leadership in elected office is only one of many ways to give back to our great nation. He believed fervently in the opportunity and obligation of every single person to make a difference and better the lives of others.
“I’ll always be grateful for his appointing me as U.S. attorney for Connecticut, which is how I first came to know him.”
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Carter “led with compassion, humility, and moral clarity even when it came at a political cost.”
“In a 1979 speech, President Carter warned the nation we have two paths to choose from — one toward fragmentation and self-interest and another toward common purpose. It’s a warning that rings true still today,” Murphy said.
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