The Thames River ( ) is a short river and tidal estuary in the state of

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. It flows south for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed April 1, 2011 through eastern Connecticut from the junction of the

Yantic River The Yantic River forms at the confluence of the Deep River, Sherman Brook, and Exeter Brook about east of Colchester, Connecticut. It runs for and flows into the Shetucket River in Norwich, forming the Thames River.U.S. Geological Survey. Na ...

and

Shetucket River The Shetucket River is a tributary of the Thames River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in eastern Connecticut in the United States. It is formed at ...

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic River, Yantic, Shetucket River, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River f ...

, to New London and

Groton, Connecticut Groton ( ) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located on the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United St ...

, which flank its mouth at

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...

. The Thames River watershed includes a number of smaller basins and the long

Quinebaug River The Quinebaug River ( ) is a river in south-central Massachusetts and eastern Connecticut, with watershed extending into western Rhode Island. The name "Quinebaug" comes from the southern New England Native Americans in the United States, Nati ...

, which rises in southern Massachusetts and joins the Shetucket River about four miles northeast of Norwich.

History

The river has provided important harbors since the mid-17th century. It was originally known as the Pequot River after the

Pequot The Pequot ( ) are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of Connecticut. The modern Pequot are members of the federally recognized Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, four other state-recognized groups in Connecticut includin ...

Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

who dominated the area. Other early names for the river have included Frisius, Great, Great River of Pequot, Little Fresh, New London, and Pequod. The town was officially named New London in 1658 and the estuary river was renamed Thames after the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. The

United States Coast Guard Academy The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), located in New London, Connecticut, is the United States service academies, U.S. service academy specifically for the United States Coast Guard. Founded in 1876, the academy provides education t ...

Connecticut College Connecticut College (Conn) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. Originally chartered as Thames College, it was founded in 1911 as the state's only women's colle ...

, a U.S. Navy submarine base, and the

Electric Boat An electric boat is a powered watercraft driven by electric motors, which are powered by either on-board battery packs, solar panels or generators. While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power ...

submarine shipyard are located on the river at New London and Groton. was launched into the river on January 21, 1954 from Electric Boat, becoming the world's first

nuclear-powered submarine A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor, but not necessarily nuclear-armed. Nuclear submarines have considerable performance advantages over "conventional" (typically diesel-electric) submarines. Nuclear propulsion, ...

. In addition to the submarine bases, a US Navy Magnetic Silencing Facility is also installed within the mouth of the river. Two historic forts overlook the mouth of the river at New London harbor, now Connecticut State Parks:

Fort Griswold Fort Griswold is a former American defensive fortification in Groton, Connecticut named after Deputy Governor Matthew Griswold (governor), Matthew Griswold. The fort played a key role in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War, in corr ...

on the eastern Groton Heights, and

Fort Trumbull Fort Trumbull is a massive granite fort near the mouth of the Thames River in New London, Connecticut, managed as Fort Trumbull State Park by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The original fort was built in 1777 ...

on the New London side.

Events

The Harvard-Yale Regatta is held annually in New London. New London's Sailfest is an annual event which includes

OpSail Operation Sail refers to a series of sailing events held to celebrate special occasions and features sailing vessels from around the world. Each event is coordinated by Operation Sail, Inc., a non-profit organization established in 1961 by U.S. Pr ...

, a gathering of large sailing vessels including the Coast Guard training ship .

Crossings

References

{{authority control Estuaries of Connecticut Long Island Sound Montville, Connecticut New London, Connecticut Rivers of Connecticut Rivers of New London County, Connecticut Rowing venues in the United States

History

Events

Crossings

See also

References