Providing a means for Submarine Force leadership to share their vision
The Naval Submarine League is a non-profit membership organization committed to supporting the submarine force and building a community of submarine advocates. The primary mission of the NSL is to promote awareness of the importance of submarines to U.S. national security.
A Brief History of the Naval Submarine League by CAPT James C. Hay, USN, Ret.:
Forward: To arrive at a “A Brief History of the Submarine League”, The Submarine Review’s ARCHIVE (at the NSL web site) was used to pick out interesting issues within the greater Submarine Force history to illustrate major Submarine League efforts at illustration and education. The ARCHIVE references are shown in brackets. The problem, of course, is an overload of information which is all very interesting. There are a number of great speeches, given on various occasions, and the talks by the Force Commanders give an excellent history of the Force. One can be fascinated by any number of the articles. All of it is great stuff but the emphasis here is on illustration and education of the issues.
RADM Al Kelln was talking about some sort of a submarine support organization as early as 1980.
With concurrence from VADM Shannon Cramer, VADM C huck Griffiths and VADM Jack Williams, Al started the ball rolling. An initial Submarine Supporters meeting was held on May 26 1981 with 37 retired submarine officers present. The next Submarine Supporters meeting was held on May 4 1982 with 111 people present. The year between the meetings was spent by Al sending out flyers and getting together all that was needed for setting up the organization.
The NSL presents more than 100 awards to members of the submarine community every year.
The NSL is a professional society, composed of military (Active and Reserve) and civilian members, dedicated to enhanced awareness and support of the Submarine Force. Since 1986, the NSL has presented annual awards to individuals who have made outstanding contributions or demonstrated performance worthy of special recognition. Awardees do not have to be members of the NSL.
Help Us Continue Our Mission
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Get Involved
Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson was the Day 2 luncheon speaker during the 2018 Submarine Technology Symposium. Photo provided by John Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab
Members of the Naval Submarine League across the U.S. are available to speak to local civic groups, schools and businesses. NSL headquarters supplies a slide show about submarines and the role they play in our national defense. Many of the speakers are submariners who can add their own experiences and sea stories to the presentation.
To request a speaker, contact the NSL staff at Outreach@navalsubleague.org
Members of the NSL are encouraged to participate in Commissioning Committees, crew support groups and submarine reunions. NSL chapters around the country enjoy interacting with submariners who visit or are home-ported locally.
The commissioning of a new submarine is an event marked by ceremonies and celebrations. VIRGINIA-class submarines are usually named for states and commissioning committees are established by civilians in the applicable state, often sponsored by the Navy League of the United States. These committees raise funds and engage in public relations activities to promote pride in and support for their submarine.
Commissioning committees who would like to have their information posted on the NSL website should contact Outreach@navalsubleague.org
Any commissioned submarine may have a support group of civilians who are actively engaged in activities to support the crew and their families. These activities depend only on the imagination and resources of the members of the group. Common activities include care packages for the crew, holiday cards, and new baby packages.
Support groups who would like to have their information posted on the NSL website should contact Outreach@navalsubleague.org
Submarines periodically have reunions for anyone who served on that boat during its lifetime.
Reunion committees who would like to have their contact information posted on the NSL website should contact Communication@navalsubleague.org
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Award Winners
The NSL presents more than 100 awards to members of the submarine community every year. Learn More
The Submarine Review Our quarterly publication
The journal is available to corporate and individual members and hard copies are sent to members of Congress, all U.S. Navy submarine activities, and all U.S. submarines. Learn More