SecDef tours Ga. nuclear sub base

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Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is praising the Navy's ballistic missile-armed submarines as an important deterrent against nuclear war.

Gates took a quick tour of the submarine USS Rhode Island during a stop Friday at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in southern Georgia.

Gates said the Trident nuclear submarines, which hide undetected beneath the ocean armed with ballistic missiles, discourage potential enemies from attacking the U.S. because they would face "a heavy price to pay."

Kings Bay in St. Marys is the Navy's only East Coast base for nuclear-armed submarines.

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(AP)

Sailor arrested for molestation

Authorities have arrested a sailor based at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base south of Brunswick on child molestation charges. Parents of one of the alleged victims complained to the Navy about 36-year-old Steven David Sydor. Authorities believe Sydor gave children ages 10 to 15 alcohol and tried to get them to run around his St. Mary’s house nude. Investigators also removed a computer from his home.