The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNIZING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NAVAL SUBMARINE MEDICAL
RESEARCH LABORATORY
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HON. JOE COURTNEY
of connecticut
in the house of representatives
Monday, June 28, 2021
Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 75th anniversary of the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory, which occurred on Friday, June 25, 2021. Located at the Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut, the research center has served Connecticut's second district, the region, and the nation as a hub of excellence, ensuring the readiness and primacy of the United States' undersea deterrence efforts by way of cutting edge health and performance research.
Although Friday's date marks the official date of the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory's 75th anniversary, the Research Laboratory's origins date back to as early as 1942 when it was created as an arm of the Naval Submarine Base New London Dispensary. During the earliest stages of America's direct involvement in the Second World War, when our nation's submarine force was put to one of its greatest tests, the center was created to provide answers to problems in communications, vision, personnel, selection, and environmental medicine resulting from wartime demands. The success of the Research Laboratory was evident from its earliest beginnings when in March 1944 it separated from the dispensary and became the independent Medical Research Department of the Submarine Base. Throughout the remainder of World War II, this department became responsible for the organization, development and operation of numerous training programs, including the school for Pharmacist Mates entering the submarine service, the Lookout Training School, the Voice Communication School, and the school for Second Class Divers.
By June 1946, with the full conclusion of the War, the Research Laboratory formally gained command status as the Medical Research Laboratory, under the direction of the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. From there, its mission grew to the selection of all officers and enlisted for training at the Naval Submarine School, specialized training in submarine medicine for hospital corpsmen and medical officers and research into the medical aspects of submarines and diving. As our maritime national security policy evolved to meet the demands of the Cold War Era and new age of nuclear deterrence, so too did the Research Laboratory's avenues of focus and innovation, including its innovative work in submarine rescue experiments.
The Research Laboratory has worked tirelessly to push the field of underwater safety forward in the decades since. For example, it has developed countless reliable products including the International Orange high-visibility color enhancing rescue at sea, the Farnsworth Lantern color vision test, the improved Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment suit, the enhanced Disabled Submarine Survival Guide as well as numerous generations of the Navy's diving and decompression tables which are still in use today. In fact, the Research Laboratory's work has also been instrumental in evolving our nation's submarines to become more healthy, productive and disciplined places of work. This includes its adoption of smoke-free submarine environments, production of studies that supported women serving aboard and studies that have produced a better understanding of effective shifts of duty as a result of changes to an individual's natural circadian sleep cycle while aboard a submarine. The sleep research resulted in a healthy change in submarine work and sleep schedules that has since been embraced by the modem U.S. submarine force. In the wake of tragic ship collisions in 2017 that resulted in devastating loss of lives, the New London based-
research is now being applied to our nation's surf ace fleet.
Madam Speaker, as the Congressman who has the honor to represent Submarine Base New London, and has visited the lab, I can attest to the talent and passionate commitment of the workforce at that facility, whose unique mission is truly a national treasure. Employing sophisticated, one-of-a-kind equipment, the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory and its dedicated staff of scientists remain experts in many highly specialized areas to this day. They serve the fleet and support our Nation's undersea troops by conducting studies that ensures the readiness and effectiveness of submariners and divers operating aboard submarines, those operating in the undersea battle space, and warfighters fighting from the sea. To that end, on this 75th Anniversary of its founding, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring all those who have served, currently serve, or will serve at the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 112
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