On Friday, July 19, 1723, twenty-six pirates were buried on the north end of Goat Island, on the shore, between high and low water mark.

The significance of this placement is that, to Christians of this era, this inter-tidal land was considered "unhallowed ground," like burials placed outside of a consecrated cemetery.

"[3] The following is taken from The Salem Observer, November 11, 1843: "...this was the most extensive execution of pirates that ever took place at one time in the Colonies, it was attended by a vast multitude from every part of New England.

[5] In 1764, Newporters took over Fort George and fired shots at HMS St. John, a Royal Navy schooner, under orders from the governor of Rhode Island and the General Assembly.

The ship and its crew had been made famous as the first European explorers to visit Australia's east coast.

The torpedo station was closed in 1951 and Naval Undersea Warfare Center was created with a facility nearby.

The tradition of having a Coast Guard cutter stationed at Goat Island resumed when the Marine Protector-class coastal patrol boat USCGC Tiger Shark (WPB-87359) was commissioned on July 16, 2005.

[8] In 2006, Longwood Venues and Destinations opened Belle Mer, an event space for private functions, spanning 7.5 acres.