Gould Island is best known in the history books for its role as a torpedo test firing facility during WWII. This island was once a sprawling military site, covering the island and most notably featuring a firing pier for torpedo testing on the northern tip of the island.
Filmed/Edited/Narrated by Jason Allard
Follow me on Instagram: @Jason__Allard
Email: jsnallard@gmail.com
Drone: DJI Mini 3 Pro | Fly More Plus
Main Camera: Sony A7S III | Sony f/1.2 50mm
Editing: Final Cut Pro w/ custom plugins
Additional footage by:
Sean McMahon | Drone Footage | @disorientednavigator521
Andrew Harootunian | GoPro Footage | @theperformancereviewchannel
State-Asylum | Modern Gould Island Photos | https://bit.ly/3BAYmAC
Primary Sources:
Historic and Architectural Resources of Jamestown, RI (pg. 66) | https://bit.ly/4g5O0Ij
Gould Island Chronology | Jamestown Historical Society | https://bit.ly/3BdBPdh
Gould Island Torpedo Facility History by Richard Gould | Rhode Island Historical Society | https://bit.ly/4gvRmnu
Music by:
Dexter Yu | https://bit.ly/3ZQ5S4d
Toxic Lewi$ | https://bit.ly/3Doo1Nt
Infraction | https://bit.ly/4ffRiaB
Music from #InAudio: https://inaudio.org/
Infraction - Sky Blue
Gould Island, located in Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay, is a largely forgotten but historically significant site. Known for its role in torpedo testing during World War II, the island was originally purchased in 1657 by Thomas Gould. Over the centuries, ownership changed many times, with wealthy families using it for farming and vacation homes. In 1918, after fatal accidents at nearby Goat Island, the U.S. Navy requisitioned Gould Island for a more isolated location to store and test torpedoes.
By the early 1920s, the Navy began developing Gould Island into a major torpedo testing facility, constructing a storehouse, warhead storage, a pier, and a seaplane hangar. The island played a crucial role in testing various torpedoes, including the Mark VII and the problematic Mark 14, which, despite its flaws, was used in WWII. The island’s torpedo test range included up to 100 firings a day, and a Navy blimp was stationed overhead to monitor the tests.
During WWII, the island’s infrastructure expanded rapidly, with new barracks, a power plant, and a firing pier built for testing. The firing pier, which had four torpedo tubes, remained in use for decades, even testing unmanned underwater vehicles into the 1990s. However, after the war, testing activities decreased, and many of the island’s structures fell into disrepair. By the 1960s, most of the buildings were abandoned, and the island began to deteriorate.
In the years following WWII, Gould Island’s torpedo testing operations were absorbed into the larger Naval Ordnance Station at Coddington Cove, and by the 2000s, most of the island’s structures had been demolished or collapsed. The island was finally cleared in 2023 as part of a comprehensive cleanup and preservation effort. Today, the southern part of the island is managed as a bird sanctuary, while the northern portion remains under U.S. Navy control.
Although Gould Island remains off-limits to the public, there’s hope for future access, as some of the land may eventually be opened for recreational use. The island’s military history has been largely forgotten, but its legacy as a key site for WWII torpedo testing remains a significant chapter in Rhode Island’s past. As you drive across the Newport Pell Bridge, Gould Island’s solitary presence in the bay serves as a quiet reminder of its wartime role and the hidden history just off the coast.
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