Newport Naval Air Facility

The closure was part of a broader consolidation of U.S. Navy facilities. The specific mission of the air facility, which was to support the Naval Torpedo Station and subsequent underwater weapons research, was either moved to other locations or became obsolete. The entire Gould Island installation was deemed surplus to the Navy's needs, and significant environmental contamination from decades of industrial and military use also contributed to its abandonment.

The site is completely abandoned and in a state of ruin. The runway is heavily cracked, deteriorated, and overgrown with vegetation, though its outline is still visible from the air. The northern part of the island, including the airfield and derelict military buildings, remains under Navy ownership but is off-limits to the public due to significant environmental contamination (including asbestos and PCBs) and physical hazards. The southern part of the island is a state-managed wildlife sanctuary.

The Newport Naval Air Facility was a small, specialized airfield built during World War II on the northern end of Gould Island. Its primary and sole purpose was to support the operations of the Naval Torpedo Station, Newport. Aircraft operating from its single 2,200-foot runway were used to conduct air-drop tests of torpedoes and other underwater ordnance into Narragansett Bay. It played a crucial role in the development and testing of naval weaponry through WWII and the Cold War, supporting the work of the Naval Underwater Ordnance Station and its successor, the Naval Underwater Systems Center (NUSC).

There are no plans or prospects for reopening the airport. The facility is functionally and logistically obsolete. Reopening would be prohibitively expensive due to the runway's short length and poor condition, the extensive environmental remediation required on the island, and the lack of any strategic or commercial need for an airfield at this location. Future plans for the island are focused on environmental cleanup and conservation.