The Thames River ( / θ eɪ m z / THAYMZ ) is a short river and tidal estuary in the state of Connecticut . It flows south for 15 miles (24 km) through eastern Connecticut from the junction of the Yantic River and Shetucket River at Norwich, Connecticut , to New London and Groton, Connecticut , which flank its mouth at Long Island Sound . The Thames River watershed includes a number of smaller basins and the 80-mile (130 km) long Quinebaug River , which rises in southern Massachusetts and joins the Shetucket River about four miles northeast of Norwich.
6-612: The Oxoboxo River , / ˈ ɑː k s oʊ ˌ b ɑː k s oʊ / shown on federal maps as Oxoboxo Brook , is a tributary of the Thames River in New London County , Connecticut . It flows roughly 6 miles (9.7 km) in a southeasterly direction from its source at Oxoboxo Lake to its confluence with the Thames. It has a watershed of 6,768 acres (27.39 km), 87% of which is in the town of Montville . The Oxoboxo
12-488: A U.S. Navy submarine base , and the Electric Boat submarine shipyard are located on the river at New London and Groton. USS Nautilus was launched into the river on January 21, 1954 from Electric Boat, becoming the world's first nuclear-powered submarine . 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
18-684: The mid-17th century. It was originally known as the Pequot River after the Pequot Indians 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 in London , England . The United States Coast Guard Academy , Connecticut College ,
24-489: The stream and alternative spellings of "Oxoboxo" include Abscubogset, Absubogsuck, Cochikuack Brook, Cokichiwake, Cokikuak, Cuchickuwock, Okeshoksee, Okseboksce, Oxopaugsuck, Oxyboxy, and Sawmill Brook. Many are transliterations of the feature name in the Mohegan and other Algonquian languages of historical Native American tribes in the area. Thames River (Connecticut) The river has provided important harbors since
30-512: Was an important source of water power during English colonial settlement and 19th-century European-American industrial development in Montville. Colonists built the first sawmill on the river in 1653. As of the 1880s, the river supplied power for 15 cotton, woolen, and paper mills, most of which had dams. The river's source, Oxoboxo Lake, is a natural lake whose size and elevation have been increased by damming . The earliest dam at Oxoboxo Lake
36-548: Was constructed in the 17th century; it has been rebuilt and increased in height several times since, reaching its current elevation in the 1880s. A dam adjacent to Connecticut Route 32 in Uncasville was removed in 2020 during redevelopment of the Uncasville Mill , which it formerly powered. The name was derived from Algonquian languages of the area, which had terms for the river and lake. Other historical names for
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