Naval Air Station Quonset Point was a
United States Naval BaseThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
in
Quonset PointQuonset Point, also known simply as Quonset, is a small peninsula in Narragansett Bay in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It is contained entirely within the town of North Kingstown. "Quonset" is a Native American word likely meaning "small long place"...
,
Rhode IslandRhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. Next to NAS Quonset Point was
Camp EndicottCamp Endicott, later known as Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center, was a United States Navy base Seabee base. It is now a historic site between Seventh and Tenth streets in North Kingstown, Rhode Island....
at Davisville, home of the Naval Construction Battalions known as the
SeabeeThe Seabees are the Construction Battalions of the United States Navy. The Seabees have a history of building bases, bulldozing and paving thousands of miles of roadway and airstrips, and accomplishing myriad other construction projects in a wide variety of military theatres dating back to World...
s. Quonset Point also gave its name to the
Quonset hutA Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanised steel having a semicircular cross section. The design was based on the Nissen hut developed by the British during World War I...
, a standardized temporary structure used by the U.S. military starting in
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Former US President
Richard M. NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States and is the only president to resign the office. He was also the 36th Vice President of the United States ....
went through basic naval officer training at Quonset Point in 1942.
Commissioned on 12 July 1941, and encompassing what was once
Camp DyerCamp Dyer, Quonset Point, Rhode Island was a temporary camp used during the Spanish American War.-History:Previously a state park, the site had been used for the state militia's summer maneuvers of the First Rhode Island Brigade. Established for the call up of Rhode Island troops during the...
, NAS Quonset Point was a major naval facility throughout World War II and well into the Cold War.
Naval Air Station Quonset Point was a
United States Naval BaseThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
in
Quonset PointQuonset Point, also known simply as Quonset, is a small peninsula in Narragansett Bay in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It is contained entirely within the town of North Kingstown. "Quonset" is a Native American word likely meaning "small long place"...
,
Rhode IslandRhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. Next to NAS Quonset Point was
Camp EndicottCamp Endicott, later known as Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center, was a United States Navy base Seabee base. It is now a historic site between Seventh and Tenth streets in North Kingstown, Rhode Island....
at Davisville, home of the Naval Construction Battalions known as the
SeabeeThe Seabees are the Construction Battalions of the United States Navy. The Seabees have a history of building bases, bulldozing and paving thousands of miles of roadway and airstrips, and accomplishing myriad other construction projects in a wide variety of military theatres dating back to World...
s. Quonset Point also gave its name to the
Quonset hutA Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanised steel having a semicircular cross section. The design was based on the Nissen hut developed by the British during World War I...
, a standardized temporary structure used by the U.S. military starting in
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Former US President
Richard M. NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States and is the only president to resign the office. He was also the 36th Vice President of the United States ....
went through basic naval officer training at Quonset Point in 1942.
Commissioned on 12 July 1941, and encompassing what was once
Camp DyerCamp Dyer, Quonset Point, Rhode Island was a temporary camp used during the Spanish American War.-History:Previously a state park, the site had been used for the state militia's summer maneuvers of the First Rhode Island Brigade. Established for the call up of Rhode Island troops during the...
, NAS Quonset Point was a major naval facility throughout World War II and well into the Cold War. Prior to its closure, it had been home to numerous aviation squadrons, primarily those land-based patrol squadrons operating the
P-2 NeptuneThe Lockheed P-2 Neptune was a Maritime patrol and ASW aircraft. It was developed for the United States Navy by Lockheed to replace the PV-1 Ventura and PV-2 Harpoon, and being replaced in turn with the P-3 Orion...
and carrier-based antisubmarine and airborne early warning squadrons operating the
S-2 TrackerThe Grumman S-2 Tracker was the first purpose-built, single airframe anti-submarine warfare aircraft to enter service with the US Navy....
, the
E-1 TracerThe E-1 Tracer was the first purpose built airborne early warning aircraft used by the United States Navy. It was a derivative of the C-1 Trader and first entered service in 1958. It was replaced by the more modern E-2 Hawkeye in the early 1970s....
and various modified versions of the
A-1 SkyraiderThe Douglas A-1 Skyraider was an American single-seat attack aircraft that saw service between the 1950s and early 1970s. It was a propeller-driven anachronism in the jet age, and was nicknamed "Spad", after a World War I fighter...
.
NAS Quonset Point was also the off-season home of Antarctic Development Squadron Six (VXE-6) during the 1950s, 60s and 70s, operating the
LC-47 SkytrainThe Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
,
LP-2J NeptuneThe Lockheed P-2 Neptune was a Maritime patrol and ASW aircraft. It was developed for the United States Navy by Lockheed to replace the PV-1 Ventura and PV-2 Harpoon, and being replaced in turn with the P-3 Orion...
,
C-54 SkymasterThe Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II.-Design and development:Like the C-47 Skytrain, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian airliner ....
, C-121 Constellation, and eventually the
LC-130F and LC-130R HerculesThe Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. Capable of takeoffs and landings from unprepared runways, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport aircraft...
, as well as a variety of helicopters.
In addition to flying squadrons, the air station was also home to a major aircraft overhaul and repair (O & R) facility, later renamed Naval Air Rework Facility (NARF) Quonset Point. O & R Facilities, and their later incarnation as NARFs, are the predecessor of the present day Fleet Readiness Centers (FRCs), previously known as Naval Aviation Depots (NADEPs).
Boasting a deepwater port, NAS Quonset Point was also homeport to several ESSEX class aircraft carriers, to include the
USS Essex (CV-9)USS Essex was an aircraft carrier, the lead ship of the 24-ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the fourth US Navy ship to bear the name. Commissioned in December 1942, Essex participated in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, earning the...
,
USS Wasp (CV-18)USS Wasp was one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. The ship, the ninth US Navy ship to bear the name, was originally named Oriskany, but was renamed while under construction in honor of the previous , which was sunk 15 September 1942...
,
USS Lake Champlain (CV-39)USS Lake Champlain was one of 24 s completed during or shortly after World War II for the United States Navy. She was the second US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for the Battle of Lake Champlain in the War of 1812....
and
USS Tarawa (CV-40)USS Tarawa was one of 24 s built during and shortly after World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the first US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for the bloody 1943 Battle of Tarawa. Tarawa was commissioned in December 1945, too late to serve in World War II. After serving a...
, as well as their respective carrier air groups (CAGs or CVSGs).
NAS Quonset Point was decommissioned on 28 June 1974 as part of a nation-wide reduction in bases following the end of the US engagement in Vietnam.
Since the Navy's departure, a small military presence has remained in the form of
Quonset Point Air National Guard Station, home to the
143d Airlift WingThe United States Air Force's 143d Airlift Wing is an airlift unit located at Quonset Point, Rhode Island.-Mission:The 143d Airlift Wing's purpose is to provide airlift and combat support forces to the United States Armed Forces and to provide resources to protect life, property and public safety...
(143 AW), an
Air Mobility CommandAir Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
(
AMCAMC may refer to:* AMC , a short-lived British steam car manufactured in London in 1910* AMC , an American cable television channel* AMC 3 and...
)-gained unit of the
Rhode Island Air National GuardThe Rhode Island Air National Guard is the Rhode Island state component of the United States Air National Guard.The 143d Airlift Wing is located at Quonset State Airport in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. This air guard unit is the only cargo operator of the C-130 in the Northeast...
, operating the C-130J and C-130J-30 Hercules aircraft. The Rhode Island Army National Guard also maintains an adjoining Army Aviation Support Facility for the 1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, operating the UH-60 Black Hawk.
Now known as
Quonset State AirportQuonset State Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located on Quonset Point, in northeastern North Kingstown, Rhode Island, adjacent to Narragansett Bay...
(IATA: OQU, ICAO: KOQU), the former NAS Quonset Point is a public general aviation airport with tenant
Air National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
and
Army National GuardEstablished under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states and territories operating under their respective governors...
flying activities, as well as an adjacent industrial park. There is no scheduled airline service. The airport lies within Class D airspace and has an operating
FAAThe Federal Aviation Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation with authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
control tower (closed on Mondays) with two active runways, Runway 5/23 and Runway 16/34. Quonset State Airport is one of six active airports operated by the Rhode Island Airport Corporation. The other five airports include T.F. Green State Airport, North Central State Airport, Westerly State Airport, Newport State Airport, and Block Island State Airport.