Coaster's Harbor Island is a 92 acres (372,311.1 m²) island in Narragansett Bay

Narragansett Bay

Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound. Covering 147 mi2 , the Bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor, and includes a small archipelago...

, Newport, Rhode Island

Newport, Rhode Island

Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...

. The island is home to the Naval War College

Naval War College

The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...

 (NWC), an education and research institution of the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare

Naval warfare

Naval warfare is combat in and on seas, oceans, or any other major bodies of water such as large lakes and wide rivers.-History:Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Land warfare would seem, initially, to be irrelevant and entirely removed from warfare on the open ocean,...

 and passing them along to officers of the Navy.

History

The Native Americans called the island Woonachaset. Colonists purchased Coaster's Island from the Indians in 1654. The City built the Newport Asylum for the Poor in 1822. The Newport Poor House and Farm was located on the island until the City and State donated the island to the U.S. Navy for the Naval War College in 1882. The Navy still uses the island as a training center, and it is home to the Naval War College Museum

Naval War College Museum

The Naval War College Museum in Newport, Rhode Island, is one of fifteen official museums operated by the U.S. Navy, under the direction of the Naval History & Heritage Command and in co-operation with the Naval War College.-History:...

.