, originally built on this site in 1777. The present structure was built between 1839 and 1852. in 1887) and ferryboats in the river
Colonial era The area was called Nameaug by the
Pequot Indians.
John Winthrop, Jr. founded the first English settlement here in 1646, making it about the 13th town settled in Connecticut. Inhabitants referred to it informally as Nameaug or as Pequot after the tribe. In the 1650s, the colonists wanted to give the town the official name of London after
London, England, but the
Connecticut General Assembly wanted to name it Faire Harbour. The citizens protested, declaring that they would prefer it to be called Nameaug if it could not be officially named London. The legislature relented, and the town was officially named New London on March 24, 1658. and consequently New London became a base of
American naval operations during the
American Revolutionary War and privateers where it has been said no port took more prizes than New London with between 400–800 being credited to New London privateers including the 1781 taking of supply ship Hannah, the largest prize taken during the war. Famous New Londoners during the American Revolution include
Nathan Hale, William Coit, Richard Douglass, Thomas and
Nathaniel Shaw,
Gen. Samuel Parsons, printer Timothy Green, and Bishop
Samuel Seabury. New London was raided and much of it burned to the ground on September 6, 1781, in the
Battle of Groton Heights by
Norwich native
Benedict Arnold in an attempt to destroy the Patriot
privateer fleet and supplies of goods and naval stores within the city. It is often noted that this raid on New London and Groton was intended to divert General
George Washington and the French Army under
Rochambeau from their march on
Yorktown, Virginia. The main defensive fort for New London was
Fort Griswold, located across the Thames River in
Groton. It was well known to Arnold, who had already informed the British of this so that they could avoid its
artillery fire. British and Hessian troops subsequently attacked and captured New London's
Fort Trumbull, while other forces moved in to attack Fort Griswold across the river, then held by Lieutenant-Colonel
William Ledyard. The British suffered great casualties at Fort Griswold before the Americans were finally forced to surrender—whereupon Arnold's men stormed into the fort and slaughtered most of the American troops who defended it, including Ledyard. All told, more than 52 British and 83 American soldiers were killed, and more than 142 British and 39 Americans were wounded, many mortally. New London suffered over 6 defenders killed and 24 wounded, while Arnold's men suffered an equal amount. Connecticut's independent legislature made New London one of five cities simultaneously brought from
de facto to formalized incorporations in its January session of 1784. For several decades beginning in the early 19th century, New London was one of the three busiest
whaling ports in the world, along with
Nantucket and
New Bedford, Massachusetts. The wealth that whaling brought into the city furnished the capital to fund much of the city's present architecture. The
New Haven and New London Railroad connected New London by rail to New Haven and points beyond by the 1850s. The
Springfield and New London Railroad connected New London to
Springfield, Massachusetts, by the 1870s. Many distinctive structures built in the 19th century remain, but the
First Church built in 1853 collapsed in January 2024.
Military presence Several military installations have been part of New London's history, including the
United States Coast Guard Academy and
Coast Guard Station New London. Most of these military installations have been located at
Fort Trumbull. The first Fort Trumbull was an earthwork built 1775–1777 that took part in the
Revolutionary War. The second Fort Trumbull was built 1839–1852 and still stands. During the
Red Summer of 1919, there were
a series of racial riots between white and black Navy men stationed in New London and Groton. By 1910, the fort's defensive function had been superseded by the new forts of the
Endicott Program, primarily located on
Fishers Island. The fort was given to the
Revenue Cutter Service and became the Revenue Cutter Academy. The Revenue Cutter Service was merged into the
United States Coast Guard in 1915, and the Academy relocated to its current site in 1932. During
World War II, the
Merchant Marine Officers Training School was located at Fort Trumbull. From 1950 to 1990, Fort Trumbull was the location for the
Naval Underwater Sound Laboratory, which developed
sonar and related systems for
US Navy submarines. In 1990, the Sound Laboratory was merged with the
Naval Underwater Systems Center in
Newport, Rhode Island, and the New London facility was closed in 1996. The
Naval Submarine Base New London is physically located in Groton, but submarines were stationed in New London during World War II and from 1951 to 1991. The
submarine tender Fulton and
Submarine Squadron 10 were based at State Pier in New London during this time. Squadron Ten was usually composed of eight to ten submarines and was the first all-nuclear submarine squadron. In the summer of 1960, peace activists from around the country gathered in New London to protest the all-nuclear submarines being based there. Participants held daily vigils and marches, handed out leaflets and talked with workers. Unable to achieve their goals by the end of the summer, some activists stayed in Connecticut and established the New England
Committee for Non-Violent Action. USS
Fulton was decommissioned, after 50 years of service, in 1991 and Submarine Squadron 10 was disbanded at the same time. In the 1990s, State Pier was rebuilt as a
container terminal.
Fort Trumbull The neighborhood of Fort Trumbull once consisted of nearly two-dozen homes, but they were seized by the City of New London using
eminent domain. This measure was supported in a 5–4 ruling in the 2005 Supreme Court case
Kelo v. City of New London, and the homes were ultimately demolished by the city as part of an economic development plan. The site was slated to be redeveloped under this plan, but the chosen developer was not able to get financing and the project failed. The empty landscape of the Fort Trumbull area has been widely characterized as an example of government overreach and inefficiency. ==Geography==