Naval Station Newport

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Naval Station Newport
Newport / Middletown, Rhode Island in USA
Aerial view of base
Aerial view in 2010
Cnic 055675.gif
NAVSTA Newport Insignia
Naval Station Newport is located in Rhode Island
Naval Station Newport
Naval Station Newport
Coordinates41°31′20″N 71°18′32″W / 41.52222°N 71.30889°W / 41.52222; -71.30889Coordinates: 41°31′20″N 71°18′32″W / 41.52222°N 71.30889°W / 41.52222; -71.30889
TypeMilitary base
Site information
Controlled byUnited States Navy
Site history
In use1883 - present
Garrison information
Past
commanders		Captain Ian L. Johnson
Map of Naval Station Newport in 1966.
Graduation of the June 23rd 2005 class of the U.S. Navy STA-21 Commissioning Program which was held at NAVSTA Newport.

The Naval Station Newport (NAVSTA Newport) is a United States Navy base located in the city of Newport and the town of Middletown, Rhode Island. Naval Station Newport is home to the Naval War College and the Naval Justice School. It once was the homeport for Cruiser Destroyer Force Atlantic (COMCRUDESLANT), which relocated to Naval Station Norfolk in the early 1970s. Newport now maintains inactive ships at its pier facilities, along with the United States Coast Guard. In BRAC 2005 (Base Realignment and Closure), NAVSTA Newport gained over five hundred billets, in addition to receiving, again, the Officer Candidate School (OCS), the Naval Supply Corps School (in 2011[1]), and several other activities, to include a few Army Reserve units.[2]

Mission statement[]

Naval Station Newport provides the facilities and infrastructure essential to support the operations of tenant commands and visiting fleet units.

History[]

Naval Training Station

Founding[]

The US Department of Navy officially founded the Newport Training Station in 1883, but the legwork between the state of Rhode Island and the Navy dated back to the late 1870's. The Training Station was intended to provide education for young men and boys for a ten month period. Initially 750 students, the training occurred initially on water, fully transitioning to being shore-based by 1887.[3]

Civil War[]

During the Civil War, the US Naval Academy was temporarily moved from Annapolis, Maryland to Newport to avoid any potential conflicts relating to the insurgency. Naval training ships, including the USS Constitution, USS Santee and USS John Adams were also moved to Newport Harbor during the conflict to train midshipmen for the Union.[4]

World War 1[]

According to the Newport Historical Society,

"With the outbreak of World War I in 1914 the first preparations for war began, and the Training Station expanded onto Coddington Point. By 1916 there were 7,215 men stationed there, and Newport became the home for a yeoman school, signal school, Hospital Corps Training School, Commissary School, Musician’s School, and a Firemen’s School. After the United States formally entered WWI in April 1917 the Naval Station received authority to increase capacity by 10,000 men. Temporary barracks, mess halls and auxiliary buildings were made into Camp Sadler on Coasters Island, as well as a tent city for 2,800 recruits called Camp Palmer. The enacting of the Selective Service Act of 1917 brought an average of 15,000 men each month for training, and while women were not eligible for the draft, they began enrolling in the Navy at this time. All of this led to more expansion. During WWI, Training Station Newport equipped and sent 65,000 sailors to sea, in addition to thousands of Naval reservists trained there."[5]

Current operations[]

The station was home of the decommissioned USS Saratoga (CV-60) after the departure of the USS Forrestal (CV-59) which departed under tow for the inactive ship storage facility in Philadelphia.

On May 8, 2014, Naval Sea Systems Command announced that ESCO Marine, Brownsville, Texas, would scrap Saratoga for one cent.[7] Currently, the Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame is trying to move the decommissioned USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) moored at Pier 2 at the station.[8]

Naval Health Clinic New England provides the health care facilities.

Tenant Commands[]

Navy
Marine Corps
Coast Guard
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ See: Navy Supply Corps (United States)#Navy Supply Corps School.
  2. ^ http://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrma/installations/ns_newport/about/tenant_commands/us-army-reserve-center.html
  3. ^ http://smallstatebighistory.com/naval-training-station-newport-place-u-s-naval-history/
  4. ^ "When Annapolis Moved to Newport, RI". New England Historical Society. 2019-06-03. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  5. ^ "History Bytes: Naval Station Newport". Newport Historical Society. 2018-08-21. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  6. ^ "Navy Newport History" (PDF). Newport Navalog July 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  7. ^ "Goodbye, Sara". Providence Journal. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  8. ^ Lennon, Frank (20 September 2014). "Frank Lennon: JFK carrier could be big boon for R.I." Providence Journal. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  9. ^ https://www.seabee.navy.mil/index.cfm/22706
  10. ^ http://www1.netc.navy.mil/swos/
  11. ^ http://www.cnic.navy.mil/Newport/About/TenantCommands/MarineCorpsDetachmentNewport/index.htm

External links[]

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