Dutch Island (Rhode Island)

Dutch Island

Company type	Island
Industry	N/A
Founded	1636
Headquarters	Jamestown , United States
Area served	Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island
Products	N/A

Dutch Island is situated to the west of Conanicut Island at one of the entrances to Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, United States. It is a part of the municipality of Jamestown, Rhode Island and encompasses an area of 0.4156 km² (102.7 acres). According to the United States Census, 2000, the island had no residents. From the period of the American Civil War through World War II, the island was fortified and was known as Fort Greble between 1898 and 1947.

History

Originally called Quotenis or Quetenesse, Dutch Island became a site for a trading post established circa 1636 by Abraham Pietersen van Deusen of the Dutch West India Company. This post facilitated trade between the Dutch and the Narragansett Indians, exchanging European goods for local furs, fish, and venison. In 1654, English settlers acquired ownership of the island. The federal government purchased six acres at the southern tip in 1825 and inaugurated Dutch Island Light on January 1, 1827, to signal the western passage into Narragansett Bay and assist navigation into Dutch Island Harbor. The initial 30-foot stone lighthouse tower was replaced in 1857 by a taller 42-foot brick structure, with a fog bell added in 1878. While no physical remnants of the Dutch trading post survive, both the lighthouse and military fortifications remain intact.

Fort Greble

The name Fort Greble honors 1st Lt. John Trout Greble, 2nd Artillery, USA, recognized as the first Regular Army officer to die in the Civil War. The U.S. government acquired the land in 1863, with military control established by 1864. As part of the Harbor Defenses of Narragansett Bay, Fort Greble operated as a coastal defense facility from approximately 1895 until its decommissioning in 1947. Its armaments included artillery such as a 10-inch disappearing gun, contributing to defense efforts during both World Wars. Presently, ownership rests with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management; however, the site remains closed to public access.

American Civil War

During the American Civil War, Dutch Island functioned as a training ground for the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored), who were responsible for constructing initial earthwork defenses on the island. Construction activities continued intermittently after the war, including an eight-gun battery built and manned by this regiment between 1863 and 1864. Additionally, an eleven-gun battery designed for 10-inch Rodman guns was established at the southern end, offering extensive firing arcs; however, it was never armed due to susceptibility to flooding.

Spanish American War

Following the Civil War period, further artillery batteries were installed on Dutch Island. In 1870, plans were drawn up for a substantial fort equipped with forty 15-inch Rodman guns; nevertheless, funding cuts nationwide led to cancellation by 1875. Recommendations from the Endicott Board in the late 1890s—prompted by concerns arising from the Spanish–American War—resulted in construction of Fort Greble as part of the Coast Defenses of Narragansett Bay. This fortification featured tunnels and gun emplacements that were expanded through 1902. Battery Hale, completed in 1897, contained three 10-inch M1888 disappearing guns. Shortly after hostilities commenced, a battery housing a single 6-inch Armstrong gun was constructed but removed by 1903. Battery Mitchell replaced this installation with three 6-inch M1903 disappearing guns; Battery Sedgwick was equipped with eight 12-inch M1890 mortars, while Battery Ogden featured two 3-inch M1898 rapid fire guns mounted on retractable carriages. The fort also oversaw an underwater minefield whose mines were stored at Fort Wetherill.

Battery Hale was named after Revolutionary War figure Nathan Hale; Battery Mitchell honored Captain David D. Mitchell who died during the Philippine–American War; Battery Sedgwick commemorated Major-General John Sedgwick, killed in action during the Civil War; and Battery Ogden bore the name of Frederick C. Ogden, also a casualty of that conflict.

Training Exercises Between the Wars

On 26 June 1908, a joint arms training operation was conducted involving both regular and militia forces stationed at Fort Adams and Fort Greble, as reported by the New York Times. The exercise simulated an amphibious assault on the island, with artillery fire from the fort causing disturbances to residents of Newport and Jamestown throughout the night.

A tragic accident occurred on 2 April 1912 when Corporal William W. Lee accidentally inflicted a fatal wound on himself by loading an excessive amount of powder—two pounds instead of the standard four ounces—into Fort Greble’s reveille gun. His final resting place is located in Jamestown’s municipal cemetery.

World War I and World War II

During World War I, Fort Greble accommodated up to 495 troops under the command of Colonel Charles Foster Tillinghast Sr.. Several artillery pieces were removed for possible deployment on the Western Front during 1917-18. Notably, a 10-inch gun from Battery Hale was adapted into a railway gun, with a replacement sourced from Fort Wetherill. The three 6-inch guns from Battery Mitchell were shipped to France but did not engage in combat due to incomplete training before the Armistice of 11 November 1918. Additionally, half of Battery Sedgwick’s eight 12-inch mortars were taken off-site for conversion to railway artillery.

In 1920, Battery Ogden’s 3-inch guns were retired amid widespread phasing out of M1898 models. While Fort Greble remained operational through the mid-1920s as part of the Coast Defenses of Narragansett Bay, it was eventually placed under caretaker status because of failing water cistern infrastructure.

Throughout World War II, Fort Greble functioned as a detention facility for German prisoners of war until its closure in 1947. Its artillery was dismantled in 1942 following the establishment of upgraded coastal defenses at Fort Church and Fort Greene.

Post-War Period

Since the conclusion of World War II, Dutch Island has neither undergone redevelopment nor preservation efforts. It currently operates as a training ground for the Rhode Island National Guard. Ownership resides with the State of Rhode Island, and the island is managed as a wildlife conservation area by the Department of Environmental Management (DEM). In 2016, safety hazard reduction initiatives were completed by the Army Corps of Engineers to address potential dangers on the island.

See also

• Seacoast defense in the United States
• United States Army Coast Artillery Corps

References

• United States Census Bureau
• Dutch Island Lighthouse History
• Lighthouse Details
• Berhow, Mark A., American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide, CDSG Press, 2004
• Denlson, Frederic, Narragansett Sea and Shore, 1879
• Lewis, Emanuel Raymond, Seacoast Fortifications of the United States, Leeward Publications, 1979
• Schroder, Walter K., Images of America: Dutch Island and Fort Greble, Arcadia Publishing, 1998
• Seavey, George L., Rhode Island's Coastal Natural Areas

External links

• List of US coastal forts and batteries at Coast Defense Study Group, Inc.
• FortWiki: comprehensive listing of CONUS and Canadian forts