Deep-sixing deep-sea dominance
OVER THE last few months, numerous arguments have been presented by a long list of well-educated and informed individuals why closing Submarine Base New London -- as recommended by the Department of Defense -- is a grave miscalculation by our country.
Their arguments over military value and cost issues seem convincing. But overlooked in the debate has been another important element -- the close relationship that exists between our nation's submarine forces and its center of oceanographic research. It is a connection that, through the long history of our country, has come together to overcome every undersea threat we've ever faced.
Virtually every expedition that I have led or participated in has benefited from our relationship with the Navy at New London, Conn. Using Navy resources such as the NR 1, its deep-sea nuclear research submarine, we were able to explore places and find ships and new life that had never been seen before. These expeditions include the exploration of the Mid-Ocean Ridge, the discovery of warm water springs and their unusual animal communities in the Galapagos Rift, the discoveries of the
In 1998 we teamed with the Navy and National Geographic to locate lost ships of the Battle of Midway. These included the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, which lay at a depth of 16,650 feet. Without the Navy's deep-sea exploration capability, this would not have been possible.
But many people may not fully comprehend or appreciate the indebtedness the nation's submarine force has to the New England oceanographic research community. During World War II, it was the oceanographers of New England who used the physical characteristics of the thermocline -- the ocean layer in which the most dramatic temperature changes occur -- to teach our Navy how to hide its submarines from attack as well as how to sink German submarines that threatened our maritime lifelines to our allies.
In the Cold War, it was the oceanographers of New England who discovered the deep sound channel, ultimately resulting in development of the Sound Surveillance System. This is a system that provides deep-water, long-range detection capability, which proved critical during the Cold War in tracking Soviet submarines by their faint acoustic signals. Although even to this day the public doesn't know much about it, the system was an invaluable component in winning that war of nerves.
The oceanographic centers of the Northeast located at the University of New Hampshire, MIT, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the University of Rhode Island, the University of Connecticut, the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, as well as others, are not moving. They represent arguably the world's foremost collection of oceanographic expertise.
Let's not forget the Naval Undersea Warfare Center at Newport, some 40 miles from the submarine base. With its work in research, development, and prototyping, it takes the results of exploration and moves them to conceptualization and eventually implementation -- all in the interest of maintaining our undersea superiority.
It is no coincidence that Submarine Base New London, the academic institutions mentioned above, and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center exist in relatively close proximity. They are all part of the seafaring culture of New England, going back to the settlement of this country.
Our submarine forces are an integral part of that culture. If the base were to close, I fear that our armed forces would lose a vital regional cultural dimension. The proposal put forth by the Defense Department would relocate Submarine Base New London to bases in the South. But while submarines can be moved and piers and buildings can be built elsewhere, a culture developed over hundreds of years can never be successfully replaced. This is an important reason why closing the base would be an incalculable loss for the region and the nation.
Having served as a naval officer and oceanographer in New England for more than 35 years, I speak from a position of knowing that when these two worlds are torn apart, the magic that has ensured America's undersea dominance will be lost forever.
If the Base Closure and Realignment Commission approves the recommendation to close the Submarine Base New London, we will be severing the spine that connects our nation's submarine might with its intellectual center, a united body that has well served this country since its birth.
Robert Ballard is founder and head of the Institute for Exploration at Mystic Marinelife Aquarium in Mystic, Conn.
