Camp Endicott

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Camp Endicott
NorthKingstownRI SeabeeMuseum 2.jpg
Surviving Camp Endicott Quonset huts at the Seabee Museum
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Location North Kingstown, Rhode Island
Built1942
NRHP reference No. 78000015 [1]
Added to NRHPOctober 19, 1978

Camp Endicott was a United States Navy Seabee facility, part of Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center at Quonset Point in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. A surviving portion of the camp, [2] now mostly demolished, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. [1]

Contents

History

The vast training camp built at Davisville, Rhode Island in 1942, provided more than 100,000 men of the U.S. Navy's Construction Battalions, better known as "Seabees," with construction training during World War II. During the Vietnam War, eight Naval Mobile Construction Battalions representing some 4,000 Seabees were homeported at Davisville, in addition to 1,200 civilians.

Mordecai T. Endicott (1844-1926) Mordecai Thomas Endicott.png
Mordecai T. Endicott (1844–1926)

Named in honor of Rear Admiral Mordecai T. Endicott, the first Civil Engineer Corps Officer to be appointed Chief of the former Bureau of Yards and Docks, Camp Endicott (later established as the U.S. Naval Construction Battalion Center, Davisville) was also the birthplace of the Quonset hut. These semi-cylindrically shaped, prefabricated, portable buildings were designed and produced at Davisville and shipped to various places throughout the world. Because of its design and worldwide dispersion, the Quonset Hut is considered one of the most universal structures in the world.

The Camp Endicott Historical District at Davisville was established to preserve some of these structures as well as a portion of the former Camp that played a vital role in World War II. The seven-acre District, located at the southern boundary of the Center, contained 17 huts. [2] When the area was slated for demolition, a few of the surviving huts were relocated to the Seabee Museum and Memorial Park elsewhere on the former camp grounds.

Undated HABS photo of a Quonset hut on site Oblique view of northeast corner, T-17 - Advance Base Depot Davisville, Building T-17, Ninth Street southeast of Davisville Road, Davisville, Washington County, RI HABS RI,5-DAVIL.V,1B-6.tif
Undated HABS photo of a Quonset hut on site

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Kingstown, Rhode Island</span> Town in Rhode Island, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quonset hut</span> Lightweight prefabricated structure

A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel having a semi cylindrical cross-section. The design was developed in the United States, based on the Nissen hut introduced by the British during World War I. Hundreds of thousands were produced during World War II and military surplus was sold to the public. The name comes from the site of their first deployment at Quonset Point at the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center in Davisville, Rhode Island.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davisville, Rhode Island</span> Human settlement in Rhode Island, United States of America

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seabees in World War II</span> Military unit

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4</span> Military unit

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Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1, is a United States Navy Seabee battalion. NMCB ONE, the original "Pioneers", has a long, proud and distinguished history as the very first Naval Construction Battalion of the service that would become known as the Seabees.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center</span>

The Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center was a United States Navy Seabee base located in Davisville, Rhode Island. It operated from 1942 until 1994, when after it was recommended for closure during the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. It was made up of Camp Thomas, Camp Endicott, the Advanced Base Depot, and the Advanced Base Proving Ground, and was located next to Naval Air Station Quonset Point for most of its existence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Advance Base Saipan</span> World War II base

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Base Noumea</span> Major World War 2 base

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Base Milne Bay</span> Major World War 2 base in Papua New Guinea

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Base Upolu</span> Naval base in United States

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References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. 1 2 "NRHP nomination for Camp Endicott Historic District" (PDF). RI Preservation. Retrieved September 22, 2015.

41°36′09″N71°26′16″W / 41.60250°N 71.43778°W / 41.60250; -71.43778