The top command at Naval Submarine Base New London was disestablished Aug. 22 during an outdoor ceremony aboard Virginia-class attack submarine USS Missouri (SSN 780) stationed in Groton, Connecticut.
Submarine Group 2 has been disbanded after 49 years in a move that streamlines the command-and-control structure for Atlantic-based attack submarines and aligns it with a more efficient organizational arrangement on the West Coast.
Three submarine squadron commanders, who oversee attack submarines stationed in Connecticut and Virginia, will now immediately report to Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia.
“A smooth and responsible ‘sundown’ of Submarine Group 2 has been our objective for the past year. We deliberately sought to make it seamless,” said outgoing commander Rear Adm. Kenneth Perry. “We make that transition now, the result of thoughtful planning and solid teamwork.”
Personnel who staffed Submarine Group 2’s 45 military and civilian positions in Groton have been reassigned.
Submarine Group 2 was originally named “Submarine Flotilla Two” when it formed in August 1965. It provided oversight for the planning and operation of ballistic-missile submarines until the early 1990s.
Most recently, Submarine Group 2 has provided oversight to three submarine squadrons, waterfront maintenance and support units, a torpedo facility, 23 operational attack submarines and five newly formed crews for Virginia-class submarines under construction.
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