Naval Station Newport (RI)

Newport, Rhode Island has long been considered an important naval town, due to its strategic geographic location on the Narragansett Bay.  Back in the 1600s, even the English considered building a naval station there, but the plans never materialized.

During the Civil War, Newport became the chosen location for the U.S. Naval Academy as tensions heated up in the South, putting the Annapolis location in jeopardy.  However, it wasn’t until the early years of World War II that an actual base was established in this coastal town.  Newport quickly became one of the Navy’s largest and busiest bases of operations.  By the war's end, more than 100 ships of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet were based in Newport. 

In addition to the U.S. Naval Operating Base, which was established in 1941, the navy also set up a Patrol Torpedo (PT) Boat Training Center, a Naval Net Depot, an anti-aircraft Gunnery Training Center, housing sites, a communications facility, and much more, all within minutes of Newport.  At its peak, more than 160,000 workers were employed at various naval operations in the Newport area.

Though naval activities diminished after the war, Newport remained an important location for naval operations.  In the early 1970s, the Navy commands and activities in Newport changed their mission from fleet support to officer training and education.  Today, Naval Station Newport remains the largest single employer in Newport County, Rhode Island, both in terms of personnel and payroll.

During its decades of operations, Naval Station Newport employed thousands of shipyard workers, both military and civilian.  Some were ship fitters or boilermen.  Others served as electricians, plumbers, insulators, or steel workers.  Many, however, were exposed to dangerous asbestos while carrying out their jobs on-board the nation’s ships.  During the war years, many items found on ships contained asbestos, such as pipe insulation, boilers, gaskets, floor and ceiling tiles, and many others.  Damaged asbestos products may have resulted in the inhalation of dangerous asbestos fibers.

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