New London Harbor

New London Harbor. New London Waterfront Park. , Connecticut State Pier Complex , State Pier lies beyond the train station, just north of the Cross Sound Ferry docks. The pier was completed in 1914 with state money and is an early example of state government encouraging economic development through a major public works project. The 1,000-foot-long pier is 200 feet wide and encompasses over fifteen acres. , New London's Transportation Center , Union Station, built in 1888, is the core of New London's transportation center. It was the last train station designed by Henry Hobson Richardson, a famous Boston architect who also designed that city's Trinity Church. Ferry terminals are located on either side of the train station. Ferry service has operated on the Thames River since 1651. Today ferries provide service to Long Island, New York, Block Island, Rhode Island, and Fishers Island, New York. Nearly two million passengers pass through these ferry terminals each year. , Gold Star Memorial Bridge , The first railroad bridge across the Thames River was altered for highway traffic in 1919. Then, in 1943, the first of two mile-long highway bridges spanning the Thames River for automobile traffic was completed at a cost of six million dollars. The second span was constructed in 1973. The name of the bridge recalls the World War II practice of displaying stars in the home windows for each family member serving in the armed forces. Gold was the color for those who had made the ultimate sacrifice. , Fort Griswold Battlefield Park , The 134-foot-high granite obelisk that dominates this Connecticut State Park commemorates the men lost during the Battle of Groton Heights. This battle took place toward the end of the Revolutionary War on September 6, 1781. British generals led by Benedict Arnold attacked the Thames River Harbor in retaliation for the capture of British ships by local privateers. The British massacred the colonial forces at Fort Griswold and burned nearly all of New London, including buildings, wharves and ships. , Electric Boat Shipyard , Established in Groton in 1911 as the New London Ship and Engine Company, the General Dynamics Electric Boat Shipyard has established its reputation as the world leader in submarine propulsion, design and construction. Electric Boat (EB) has been manufacturing submarines in Groton since 1924. Between 1935 and 1946 more than 12,000 workers helped to build over 100 subs. In 1954 EB launched the world's first nuclear powered submarine, the Nautilus. The photo below shows the launch of the USS Columbus in 1992 , New London Harbor is one of the best natural harbors on the eastern coast of North America. It is a tidal estuary protected by the natural breakwater of Fishers Island, New York. At a depth of forty feet, the river's 500-foot-wide channel has been improved by dredging and provides a short and direct outlet to the Atlantic Ocean and the sheltered waters of Long Island Sound. The harbor can accommodate commercial and military ships as well as recreational boating facilities. The panoramic vista before you displays the diversity of the region's economy and its continued reliance on maritime and water-dependent industries., Fort Trumbull State Park , Opened after extensive renovations in 2001 as a Connecticut State Park, this five-sided granite fort was built between 1839 and 1852 to protect New London Harbor as part of a federal coastal fortification program. It is the third fort built on this site, which at one time housed the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (1910-1930). , Pfizer, Inc. , In 1946, Pfizer, Inc. purchased a former World War II submarine shipyard from the United States Navy to establish their Groton facilities. This site has grown and expanded to become the company's primary manufacturing site. , Pfizer, Inc. , Pfizer Global Research and Development Headquarters opened in New London in 2001. At this site the final stages of drug development are managed. , New London Ledge Light , Completed in 1909, this one-of-a-kind building was one of the last lighthouses built in New England. Located a mile off shore at the mouth of the river, the lighthouse directs vessels around a dangerous ledge at the entrance to the harbor. It was built in a distinctive French Second Empire style with a stately redbrick facade and mansard roof. The lighthouse became fully automated in 1987. , U.S. Coast Guard Station New London , Located adjacent to the Fort Trumbull State Park, the Coast Guard, and its predecessor the Revenue Cutter Service, has had a presence on this site since 1910. The mission of this station and its crew includes search and rescue, safety, national security, environmental protection and law enforcement. The Station oversees a maritime area that stretches from Clinton, Connecticut to Watch Hill, Rhode Island and includes the Thames River, the Connecticut River and the Pawcatuck River.