Quonset Point facts for kids
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Quonset Point, often just called Quonset, is a small piece of land that sticks out into Narragansett Bay. It is located in the town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The name "Quonset" comes from an old Algonquian word. It means "small, long place."
Quonset Point is famous for the Quonset hut. This special type of building was first made here. Long ago, Quonset Point was home to a big United States Navy base called Naval Air Station Quonset Point. Today, the area is used for factories and businesses. Part of it is even empty. A big company that builds parts for ships, Electric Boat Corporation, is located here. It was also once home to Camp Endicott, where the Atlantic fleet Seabees (Navy construction workers) were based.
Now, Quonset State Airport is at Quonset Point. This airport is used by both regular planes and military planes. It is home to the Quonset Point Air National Guard Station. The 143d Airlift Wing (143 AW) of the Rhode Island Air National Guard flies C-130J Hercules planes from here.
You can get to Quonset Point by road using Rhode Island Route 403. This is a highway that connects to Rhode Island Route 4. There is also a train track that connects Quonset to the main Amtrak line, called the Northeast Corridor. The Providence and Worcester Railroad uses this track to move goods.
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Port of Davisville
The Port of Davisville is an important part of Quonset Point. In 2009, a group called the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) chose this port. They decided it would be the home for a special research ship. This ship is called the Okeanos Explorer.
The Okeanos Explorer is unique because it explores unknown parts of the world's oceans. It used to be a United States Navy ship. NOAA took it and changed it into a ship for deep-sea research.
Getting Around Quonset Point
You can reach Quonset Point in a few different ways. You can get there by air, by sea, or by road.
There is a ferry service that goes to and from Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard. This service is run by Rhode Island Fast Ferry. The Port of Davisville also has places for large commercial ships to dock.
The Quonset Airport is for general aviation. It has a long runway, about 7,500 ft (2,300 m) (2,286 meters) long. It also has a control tower with staff. The big highway Interstate 95 is close by. Buses from the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) also go to Quonset Point.
Ferry Dock
The ferry dock at Quonset Point is where the Martha's Vineyard Fast Ferry leaves from. Their high-speed ferry called Millennium takes people to Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts. Before the ferry leaves, a shuttle bus takes people to the dock every hour. After the ferry arrives, another bus takes people to the Providence Airport (T. F. Green State Airport) and the Kingston Amtrak train station.
Seabee Museum
The Seabee Museum and Memorial Park is in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. This museum honors the men and women who served in the Navy's construction battalions, known as the Seabees. The museum shows the important work these Seabees did during both wars and times of peace.
Fun Events at Quonset Point
Rhode Island Air Show
The Rhode Island Air Show is a very popular event held every year at Quonset Point. The Rhode Island National Guard puts on this amazing show. It started in 1991 as a small airplane display. But it grew bigger and bigger each year.
Famous flight teams often perform here. The USAF Thunderbirds perform in even-numbered years. The USN Blue Angels perform in odd-numbered years. The Rhode Island National Guard also shows off their own planes. These include their C-130J Hercules aircraft and UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. They do cool combined forces demonstrations.
Many different military planes have been part of the show. These include the F-22 Raptor, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and A-10 Thunderbolt II. Civilian pilots like Sean D. Tucker and the GEICO Skytypers have also performed.
In 2011 and 2012, so many people came that the show sold out. Usually, over 200,000 people attend each year. In 2013, the show was canceled. This was because of cuts to the government budget. But to everyone's surprise, the show returned in 2014! The Blue Angels were the main act.
Other Events
Richard Nixon was a former President of the United States. He served in the United States Navy from 1942 to 1946. He started his basic training at Quonset Point in 1942. There, he met William P. Rogers, who later became his first Secretary of State.
During the 1950s, Quonset Point was home to several aircraft carriers. These included the USS Antietam, USS Tarawa, and USS Leyte. In the 1960s and early 1970s, four more aircraft carriers used Quonset Point as their home port. These were the USS Lake Champlain, USS Essex, USS Wasp, and USS Intrepid.
