Groton (/ˈɡrɒtən/ GRAH-tən) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located on the Thames River.

It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United States Navy.

The Naval Submarine Base New London is located in Groton, and the pharmaceutical company Pfizer is also a major employer.

The newcomers to the land were the Pequots, a branch of the Mohawk people who moved eastward into the Connecticut River Valley.

[4] The land was poor for farming, but access to the region's waterways left room for commerce and trade, and Groton became a town of oceangoing settlers.

The sturdy ships built in Groton engaged in highly profitable trade with the islands of the Caribbean.

The fleet had sailed from Long Island the evening before, and only a sudden shift in the wind prevented a surprise attack during the night; it was 9 a.m. the next day before the transports could come ashore to land the troops.

Across the Thames River in New London, Benedict Arnold was leading an 800-man detachment which destroyed stockpiles of goods and naval stores.

Meanwhile, a British force of 800 men moved toward Fort Griswold in Groton, which was garrisoned by 164 American troops.

After an initial repulse, the British succeeded in entering the fort and overpowering the small American garrison inside.

Ledyard allegedly surrendered to a Loyalist officer, Major Stephen Bromfield, who purportedly killed him with own sword.

Ledyard handsomely replied, "I did, but you do now," at the same moment handing him his sword, which the unfeeling villain buried in his breast!

Oh, the hellish spite and madness of a man that will murder a reasonable and noble-hearted officer, in the act of submitting and surrendering!

These ships went on trips to Florida, and the resulting profits made Mystic the most thriving part of the town.

These residents built a fort on a hill of rock that held one cannon and maintained constant guard.

They brought the torpedo from New York; it was 30 feet (9 m) long, 7 inches (18 cm) in diameter, and had a 12-foot (4 m) crossbar at one end.

All the men made it safely to the shore while being fired at by the British ship and the American sentries at Eastern Point.

The land-locked frigates left the Thames in April, leaving Groton to resume its marine pursuits.

Whaling was difficult and dangerous, but boys would go out to sea to make their fortune, nonetheless, in the hope that some of them would eventually come to command a vessel.

The most important vessel built at the Mystic River Shipyard was the clipper ship Andrew Jackson.

Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy during the Civil War, wanted three experimental ironclad steamers to be built in private shipyards and used against the Confederacy's wooden fleet.

During the Civil War, 56 steamships were built for government service in shipyards on both sides of the Mystic River.

A marine railway built in Groton in 1860 allowed them to pull vessels out of the water for repairs, which brought in a lot of business and money.

Housing was beginning to run short, so Groton Realty had to hurry to build hotels and cottages.

However, until 1931, submarines designed by Electric Boat were subcontracted to other shipyards, primarily Fore River Shipbuilding in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Electric Boat commenced industrial operations in Groton with the establishment of the New London Ship and Engine Company (NELSECO) as a subsidiary in 1911.

Presently, Nautilus is decommissioned and open for visitors, permanently berthed at the U.S. Navy Submarine Force Library and Museum.

The National World War II Submarine Memorial East is located in Groton, including parts of USS Flasher.

The Electric Boat plant on the eastern shore of the Thames River employs 10,500 people in the community.

According to the Town's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[16] the top employers are: There are many schools in the Groton area.