Naval Submarine Base New London by the Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment in the 2000s. On January 21, 1954 the first nuclear-powered submarine, , was launched from Groton. "Nautilus" became the first vessel to transit the North Pole during a historic trip across the Arctic in 1958. "Nautilus" spent most of her career assigned to Submarine Squadron 10 located at State Pier in New London. It was retired from service in 1980. In 1982 "Nautilus" was designated a National Historic Landmark in Groton. It is permanently moored south of the main gate, attached to the U.S. Submarine Force Museum. Self-guided tours are available to the public
Submarine Soviet Union () as part of the Cold War nuclear deterrent strategy. During the Cold War, the US and the Soviet Union maintained large submarine fleets that engaged in cat-and-mouse games. The Soviet Union lost at least four submarines during this period: was lost in 1968 (a part of which the CIA retrieved from the ocean floor with the Howard Hughes-designed ship "Glomar Explorer"), in 1970, in 1986, and in 1989 (which held a depth record among military submarines—). Many other Soviet subs, such as (the first Soviet nuclear submarine, and the first Soviet sub to reach the North Pole)