World War II Rhode Island, McBurney Christian, Wallin Brian L., Conley Patrick T.

Rhode Islands contribution to World War II vastly exceeded its small size.

Narragansett Bay was an armed camp dotted by army forts and navy facilities. They included the countrys most important torpedo production and testing facilities at Newport and the Northeasts largest naval air station at Quonset Point. Three special, top-secret German POW camps were based in Narragansett and Jamestown. Meanwhile, Rhode Island workers from all over the state - including, for the first time, many women - manufactured military equipment and built warships, most notably the Liberty ships at Providence Shipyard. Authors from the Rhode Island history blog smallstatebighistory.com trace Rhode Islands outsized wartime role, from the scare of an enemy air raid after Pearl Harbor to the wars final German U-boat sunk off Point Judith.