Editing Naval Submarine Base New London (section)

===Wartime expansion===
The Base property expanded during the latter part of [[World War I]]. Congress since approved over a million dollars for Base real estate and facilities expansion. By the end of the war, 81 buildings had been built to support 1,400 men and 20 submarines, although the land expansion was slowed through much of the 1920s. However, the [[Great Depression]] of the 1930s saw an expansion and enhancement of the physical plant of the Base. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] created a series of Federal Government employment programs that contributed significantly to the Submarine Base.

Over 26 high quality warehouses, barracks, and workshops were built at the base under these Federal job-spending programs. The second largest expansion of the Base occurred during [[World War II]], when it grew from 112 acres to {{convert|497|acre|km2}}. The Submarine Force leaped in size, and the Base accommodated thousands of men to serve the growing combat fleet.  Immediately after World War II, the Submarine Force was significantly reduced and many submarines were sent into storage. Most of the World War II fleet was sold for scrap metal during the early 1960s.

[[File:US Naval Submarine Base New London aerial photo c1968.jpg|thumb|1968 aerial view of Naval Submarine Base New London looking north]]

From 1930 to 1994, the most recognizable structure on the base was the {{convert|100|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} [[Submarine escape training facility|Escape Training Tank]]. Generations of submariners learned to escape in up to {{convert|80|ft|m}} of water using [[Emergency ascent (diving)|buoyant ascent]], and were trained in the use of the [[Momsen lung]] or [[Steinke hood]]. In 2007, the Escape Training Tank was replaced by the Submarine Escape Trainer, which has two types of escape trunks in up to {{convert|40|ft|m}} of water. The Steinke hood was replaced by the [[Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment]] in the 2000s.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121025185311/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=32956 www.navy.mil "Submarine Escape Trainer Completed", 2 November 2007, retrieved 11 February 2014]</ref>