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{{Short description|Peninsula in Rhode Island, US}}
{{Other uses|Quonset (disambiguation)}}

{{coord|41.595|N|71.415|W|type:airport|display=title}}
[[File:NAS Quonset Point NAN10-74.jpg|thumb|Quonset Point in the 1960s]]
[[File:Quonset Point Naval Air Station (38643495245).jpg|thumb|2016 view of Quonset Point showing [[Quonset State Airport]]|alt=]]
'''Quonset Point''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=Pronunciation of Quonset Point.ogg|ˈ|k|w|ɒ|n|s|ᵻ|t}}), also known simply as '''Quonset''', is a small [[peninsula]] in [[Narragansett Bay]] in the town of [[North Kingstown, Rhode Island]]. Its name is widely known from the [[Quonset hut]], which was first manufactured there. ''Quonset'' is an [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]] word meaning "small, long place".<ref>{{cite book|author=William Bright|title=Native American Placenames of the United States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5XfxzCm1qa4C|year=2004|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|isbn=978-0-8061-3598-4|page=404}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Charles L. Cutler|title=O Brave New Words|url=https://archive.org/details/obravenewwords00char|url-access=registration|year=2000|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|isbn=978-0-8061-3246-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/obravenewwords00char/page/194 194]}}</ref>

Quonset Point was the location of [[Naval Air Station Quonset Point]], a large [[United States Navy]] base. The peninsula is now used for industrial purposes and is partially abandoned.  A major industry located there is a hull-fabrication and outfitting facility for the [[Electric Boat Corporation]].  It was also home to [[Camp Endicott]], home to the Atlantic fleet [[Seabees]].

Quonset Point is currently home to [[Quonset State Airport]]  which is a joint civil-military public airport home to the [[Quonset Point Air National Guard Station]] and the [[143d Airlift Wing]] (143 AW) of the Rhode Island [[Air National Guard]], flying the [[C-130J Hercules]].

==Port of Davisville==

In 2009, the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)]] decided that the Port would be home to {{ship|NOAAS|Okeanos Explorer|R 337|2}}, a one-of-a-kind research vessel devoted entirely to exploring unknown parts of the world's oceans. It is a former United States Navy surveillance ship acquired by the NOAA and converted into a deep-sea research vessel.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kuffner|first=Alex|title=Davisville is home port for NOAA research ship Okeanos Explorer|url=http://www.projo.com/news/content/QUONSET_NOAA_10-27-09_JHG7VCA_v18.38acee5.html|access-date=July 15, 2011|newspaper=The Providence Journal|date=October 27, 2009}}</ref>

==Transportation==

Quonset Point can be reached by air and sea, as well as by road.

[[Rhode Island Route 403]] is a [[freeway]] branching from [[Rhode Island Route 4]] that serves the area. Quonset is also served by a railroad spur from [[Amtrak]]'s [[Northeast Corridor]]. The [[Providence and Worcester Railroad]] provides freight service along this stretch of the Corridor.

Ferry service to and from [[Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts|Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard]] is provided by Rhode Island Fast Ferry, and the port of Davisville offers [[berth (moorings)|berths]] for commercial shipping. The Quonset Airport is a general aviation facility with a {{convert|7500|ft|m|abbr=on|adj=on}} runway and a staffed control tower. [[Interstate 95]] is nearby, and [[Rhode Island Public Transit Authority]] (RIPTA) buses also serve Quonset Point. <ref>Information provided by Quonset Development Corporation</ref>

==Ferry dock==
The [[ferry]] dock at Quonset Point is the main terminal for Rhode Island Fast Ferry's [[high-speed ferry]] ''Julia Leigh'' to [[Oak Bluffs]], Massachusetts. A shuttle bus leaves every hour before the ferry departs; and after the ferry arrives, a bus travels to the [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]] [[Airport]] ([[T. F. Green State Airport]]) and the Kingston [[Amtrak]] train station.

== Seabee Museum ==
Seabee Museum and Memorial Park in North Kingstown, Rhode Island is a museum dedicated to the men and women who served in the Battalion. It aims to highlight the deeds of the United States Naval Construction Battalions during both times of war and peace.

==Events==
=== Air show ===
The Rhode Island Air Show is held annually by the [[Rhode Island National Guard]] and is perhaps the most well-known event to take place on Quonset Point.
The event began in 1991 as a relatively minor aviation exhibition but grew in attendance each year, with the USAF Thunderbirds performing every even year and the USN [[Blue Angels]] performing every odd year. The Rhode Island National Guard also displayed their locally based [[C-130J Hercules]] aircraft and [[UH-60 Blackhawk]] helicopters in combined forces demos. Military aircraft demonstrations that have been featured in the past have included the [[F-22 Raptor]] (2007, 2009 and 2014), [[F-16 Fighting Falcon]] (2003, 2009, 2011), [[A-10 Thunderbolt II]] (2006, 2010), [[F-15E Strike Eagle]] (2007, 2008), [[EA-6B Prowler]] (2012), [[F/A-18C Hornet]] (2006, 2008, 2010), [[F/A-18F Super Hornet]] (2007) and [[AV-8B Harrier]] (2008) while civilian performers have included [[Sean D. Tucker]], John Klatt, and [[Michael Goulian]] as well as the [[GEICO Skytypers]].
Attendance in 2011 was so high that the show was sold out after parking locations filled up. The 2012 show yielded a similar audience, and each previous year had a normal attendance of over 200,000.
However, in 2013 the show was canceled due to federal budget cuts, causing all USAF units to cut aviation support to public events and the grounding of both the USN Blue Angels and USAF Thunderbirds.

=== Other events ===
Former United States President [[Richard Nixon]] served in the United States Navy from 1942 to 1946, rising from Lieutenant Junior Grade to Lieutenant Commander. He underwent basic training at Quonset Point in 1942 where he met [[William P. Rogers]], later his first Secretary of State.

[[File:QuonsetPoint.jpg|thumb|right|Quonset Point in the 1960s from an aerial shot]]
During the 1950s, Quonset Point was home port for the [[aircraft carrier]]s, {{USS|Antietam|CV-36|6}}, {{USS|Tarawa|CVS-40|6}}, and {{USS|Leyte|CV-32|6}}. During the 1960s and early 1970s, four aircraft carriers used Quonset Point as their home port. The carriers were {{USS|Lake Champlain|CV-39|6}}, {{USS|Essex|CVS-9|6}}, {{USS|Wasp|CVS-18|6}}, and {{USS|Intrepid|CVS-11|6}}.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://quonsetpoint.artinruins.com/ BASE: Advancing a Post-Military Landscape]:  An extensive photographic survey of the Quonset Point & Davisville Naval Bases completed in 2000 by Erik Carlson & Erica Carpenter.

{{North Kingstown, Rhode Island}}
{{Narragansett Bay}}
{{Islands and Peninsulas of Rhode Island}}

[[Category:Peninsulas of Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Landforms of Washington County, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Narragansett Bay]]
[[Category:North Kingstown, Rhode Island]]