Whereas USS Thresher was first launched at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on July 9, 1960; Whereas USS Thresher departed Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for her final voyage on April 9, 1963, with a crew of 16 officers, 96 sailors, and 17 civilians; Whereas the mix of that crew reflects the unity of the naval submarine service, military and civilian, in the protection of the United States; Whereas, at approximately 7:47 a.m. on April 10, 1963, while in communication with the surface ship USS Skylark, and approximately 220 miles off the coast of New England, USS Thresher began her final descent; Whereas USS Thresher was declared lost with all hands on April 10, 1963; Whereas, in response to the loss of USS Thresher, the United States Navy instituted new regulations to ensure the health of the submariners and the safety of the submarines of the United States; Whereas those regulations led to the establishment of the Submarine Safety and Quality Assurance program (SUBSAFE), now one of the most comprehensive military safety programs in the world; Whereas SUBSAFE has kept the submariners of the United States safe at sea ever since as the strongest, safest submarine force in history; Whereas, since the establishment of SUBSAFE, no SUBSAFE-certified submarine has been lost at sea, which is a legacy owed to the brave individuals who perished aboard USS Thresher; Whereas, from the loss of USS Thresher, there arose in the institutions of higher education in the United States the ocean engineering curricula that enables the preeminence of the United States in submarine warfare; and Whereas the crew of USS Thresher demonstrated the last full measure of devotion in service to the United States, and this devotion characterizes the sacrifices of all submariners, past and present: Now, therefore, be it