In celebration of EB’s 120th birthday, over the last week, we’ve been sharing historical tidbits about the company through a variety of channels including Jeff Geiger’s EB Bulletin, the WIBs, Homeport, EB Landing and EB’s social media channels:
Test your knowledge by answering the questions below. The answers are provided in a link at the end of the quiz.
1.In 1775, CT’s David Bushnell built the very first torpedo boat and the first underwater craft to employ a screw propeller. What’s the name of this boat?
2.John Holland, the inventor of the first U.S. Navy submarine, was born where and when?
a.Groton, CT, United States, July 4, 1846
b.Liverpool, England, February 7, 1849
c.County Clare, Ireland, February 24, 1842
3.Who was Electric Boat’s first President?
4.What year did the first U.S. Navy Submarine, USS Holland (S-1) join the fleet?
5.Who was the first U.S. President to dive below the surface in an EB submarine?
a.William McKinley
b.Theodore Roosevelt
c.William Howard Taft
6.In what year did EB acquire the New London Ship and Engine Co. in Groton, CT?
a.1899
b.1906
c.1911
d.1916
7.In 1917, which became the first U.S. submarine to cross the Atlantic Ocean under its own power?
8.The first submarine built by Electric Boat at the Groton shipyard was the R-1, launched in 1926. Which country was it built for?
a.Great Britain
b.The U.S.
c.Russia
d.Peru
9.In 1933 the first submarine built for the U.S. Navy at Electric Boat’s Groton shipyard was launched. What was its name?
10.In what year did EB begin hiring women to perform construction work and welding tasks that had previously been performed exclusively by men?
a.1941
b.1942
c.1943
d.1944
11.How many submarines and patrol torpedo (PT) boats did EB produce over the course of WWII?
12.Which U.S. President famously commanded a PT boat that was cut in half by a Japanese destroyer in the South Pacific in 1943?
13.Between and after the world wars, EB kept the production lines busy by diversifying. Name one non-submarine product the company produced during these times.
14.What year did Capt. Hyman Rickover set the challenge for a nuclear-powered submarine?
15.In what year did the USS Nautilus declare “underway on nuclear power”?
16.How many U.S. First Ladies (future, current and former) have sponsored U.S. Navy nuclear submarines?
17.Electric Boat has pioneered the design and production of a number of small research submarines. Name one.
18.In what year did the Navy’s first fleet ballistic-missile submarine, USS George Washington (SSBN 598), go on its first strategic deterrent patrol?
a.1959
b.1960
c.1962
19.In what year was Quonset Point’s frame and cylinder manufacturing facility completed?
a.1976
b.1979
c.1980
20.What year was USS Virginia (SSN 774), the lead ship of the Virginia class, christened?
a.2002
b.2003
c.2004
21.In what year will the first Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarine go on patrol?
a.2028
b.2031
c.2033
There will be a separate story uploaded with the quiz answers.
On the Waterfront, the Future Arizona is Coming to Life
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2026 Veterans Day Observances
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Rayha Report Ep. 30: 40-Year Dinner Celebrates EB’s Distinguished Shipbuilders
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EB Supports 45th Annual MLK Scholarship Awards
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Building the Future: EB’s New Central Distribution Hub
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Delivering the Future
Some imagine the future. We deliver it now.
State-of-the-Art Simulator Prepares District of Columbia Crew for its Mission
As construction of the District of Columbia (SSBN 826) continues apace in EB’s South Yard Assembly Building, the sailors who will soon be at the controls are spending hours in a dynamic, high-tech simulator learning the intricacies of operating the 21,000-ton, first-in-class boomer. The Columbia Ship Control Operator Trainer (CSCOT) is a replica of the...Continue reading→
Groundbreaking Ceremony Marks Start of USS Groton Sail Monument
Fifty years after the USS Groton (SSN‑694) first launched, dozens gathered outside the Groton Public Library Oct. 9 to celebrate the groundbreaking of the USS Groton Sail Monument. The $6.6 million project—three decades in the making—will honor the men and women who design, build, operate and maintain the Navy’s submarines, as well as the families...Continue reading→
A Celebration of Heart, Community and Victory
2026 American Heart Association Eastern Connecticut Heart Walk Recap Saturday, October 3, 2026 | UConn Avery Point The 2026 American Heart Association Eastern Connecticut Heart Walk at UConn Avery Point was nothing short of extraordinary. Under bright autumn skies, 26 incredible Electric Boat teams and 151 walkers came together with passion, purpose, and unstoppable energy...Continue reading→
