NEW LONDON

city, coextensive with the town (township) of New London, New London county, southeastern Connecticut, U.S. It is a port on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Thames River. Founded by John Winthrop the Younger in 1646, it was called Pequot until 1658. New London was chartered as a city in 1784. In 1709 Connecticut's first printing press was established there. A rendezvous of privateers during the American Revolution, it was attacked and burned (Sept. 6, 1781) by a large British force under the command of Benedict Arnold. New London has one of the deepest harbours on the Atlantic coast. The whaling industry began there in 1784 and flourished in the early 19th century but declined after 1846. New London is the seat of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (1876). The New London U.S. Navy submarine base (1917), together with its submarine school, is located on the east bank of the Thames River above the city of Groton. These establishments greatly influence the regional economy, which includes the building of nuclear submarines. The city is the seat of Connecticut College (1911). Nearby are the Connecticut College Arboretum and Mitchell College (1938). The Lyman Allyn Art Museum houses colonial artifacts. The annual Yale-Harvard boat races on the Thames finish at New London. The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center is in the nearby town of Waterford. Pop. (1990) city, 28,540; New LondonNorwich MSA, 290,734; (1996 est.) city, 25,038; New LondonNorwich MSA, 286,719. county, southeastern Connecticut, U.S. It is bordered by Long Island Sound (south), Rhode Island (east), and the Connecticut River (southwest). It comprises an upland region that is forested with hardwoods and broken by river valleys, except for the south, which consists of coastal lowlands, and several small islands in the sound. The county is drained by several rivers (notably the Shetucket and Quinebaug rivers) that ultimately drain into the Thames River. There are also numerous small lakes, including Pachaug Pond and Gardner and Rogers lakes. Parklands include Bluff Point Coastal Reserve, Rocky Neck, and Selden Neck state parks and Pachaug and Nehantic state forests. Indian lands are divided into the Mashantucket Pequot, Paucatuck Pequot, and Golden Hill Paugusset reservations. The Pequot and Mohegan Indians, who inhabited the region, were under joint rule until Uncasa sachem, or chiefled the Mohegans to independence in the early 1600s. Colonists destroyed the Pequot village near Mystic on June 5, 1637. The county was formed in May 1666 as one of Connecticut's four original counties and was named for London, Eng. On Sept. 6, 1781, Benedict Arnold successfully led British forces against Fort Trumbull in New London and Fort Griswold in Groton. Stonington defended itself against British warships in the War of 1812. The county was a centre of whaling, shipbuilding, and maritime trade in the 19th century. The world's first diesel-powered submarine (1912) and nuclear-powered submarine (1955) were built in Groton. The city of New London contains the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (founded 1876) and Connecticut College (founded 1911). Shipbuilding remains important to the local economy. Other economic activities include services, trade, and agriculture, especially the raising of livestock and poultry. There is no county seat because county government was abolished in 1960. Area 666 square miles (1,725 square km). Pop. (1990) 254,957; (1996 est.) 250,735.