As part of a National Day of Mourning in honor of President Jimmy Carter, the Naval Submarine Base in New London conducted a 21-gun salute on Thursday.
“We are very proud to use our facility to memorialize President Carter, and we think it’s very appropriate we did it in this way, at this place in Groton, Connecticut, in the submarine capital of the world,” officer in charge of Historic Ship Nautilus Lt. Commander Bryan Chapman said.
The ceremony was held at the U.S. Navy Submarine Force Museum on the Nautilus pier. A place that was near and dear to Carter.
“President Carter was a member of the Submarine Force, he served on a number of different submarines and was a big proponent of the navy base staying here,” Chapman said.
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Carter graduated from the U.S. Navy Submarine School in New London in 1948. He held various ranks, including engineering officer, executive officer, lieutenant and he entered the field of naval nuclear propulsion.
“There were a number of stories that we learned as nuclear sailors about President Carter, his legacy and his impact on civilian nuclear power as well as navy nuclear power. He was a brilliant man and very humble,” Chapman said.
As commander-in-chief, Carter never forgot his fellow submariners. Back in 2005, the Navy considered closing the base in Connecticut, but Carter advocated to keep it open.
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Meantime, a mourner said she admired Carter’s passion for volunteering.
“I remember that he used to work for the Habitat for Humanity and did a lot of good things for people,” Carmen Bruno-Colon, of Uncasville, said.
Back at the museum, one of the shell casings from the 21-gun salute will be on display, cementing Carter’s legacy.
“We are going to take this as part of our collection here at the Submarine Force Museum and preserve it and keep it forever,” Chapman said. “Everybody who sees it in the future will know exactly what it was, when it used, what it was used for.”
