Have you ever gone by that mysterious island north of the Newport-Pell Bridge, with strange buildings at the north end? On the chart is says Gould Island. What was it used for? It has quite a history.

One of the colonists, Thomas Gould, who came south to join Roger Williams, bought the island from the Native Americans, thus the name Gould Island. He needed it for pastureland for his animals. It was sold many times in the next century, and finally in 1761 it was purchased by the well-to-do Joseph Walton who was elected Royal Governor of Rhode Island. When Walton refused to renounce his Tory philosophy, the colonists confiscated his land including tracts in Portsmouth, and in Newport, his mansion, Hunter House, in addition to Gould Island.

Walton left and joined the British army as an officer in Newport and went with them when they withdrew. During the Revolutionary War, the British seized the island and established Fort Owl’s Nest. After the war it reverted back to the colonists.

Gould Island changed hands many times but it was not until 1889 that the lighthouse was constructed 54 feet above water level with a 12 mile range, although ships coming from the south were unable to see it because of the trees. A tower was then built on the south end also. Very early in the 1900’s Harvard football coach Percy Haughton owned much of the island and brought his team there for training.

With the onset of WWI and WWII, the Navy took over the island as a seaplane site with additional hangers for kite balloons. These were also called barrage balloons and were used for observation. On the southeast corner they built a torpedo pier and barracks for Marines. By the Second World War they had enlarged the seaplane ramp sloping into the water and installed anti-aircraft guns. By 1944 there were 26 sea planes here. Pontoon planes test-dropped aerial torpedoes, while a US submarine off Gould Island test-fired torpedoes underwater. Hydrophones on the sea bottom tracked the accuracy. The torpedo guidance systems were not always successful. One stray torpedo catapulted up through a fence near the home of John Nicholas Brown. Another shot between two Newport yachts.  In all there were over 65,000 test firings, and 4,300 test drops. A signal on the island was tied in with a flashing signal near the YWCA camp on Jamestown, when test firing was about to begin so the lifeguards knew when to suspend swimming lessons.

There was a degaussing station at the southwest shore to undo the magnetic signature of each ship, which would otherwise set off magnetic mines. The Navy continues to own the north end and occasionally makes use of the area for training. The south end is a Rhode Island wildlife sanctuary. 

Trivia Question: A Safe Boating course is required of any powerboat operator born after what date? For the answer and more information, go to  www.northstarflotilla.com.