| Official Name: | Nautilus Island, Maine |
| Settlement Type: | Island Farm |
| Pushpin Map: | Maine |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of Maine |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Maine |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Hancock |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Population As Of: | 2000 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation M: | 14 |
| Elevation Ft: | 45 |
| Coordinates: | 44.375°N -68.8069°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 04421 |
| Area Code: | 207 |
Nautilus Island is a privately owned island in Penobscot Bay, Maine, United States. It is part of the Town of Brooksville, in Hancock County.
Lying 0.5miles south of Castine and guarding the entrance to Castine Harbor, the island has a long, rich history. During the Revolutionary War, the American vessel Hazard engaged the British sloop of war Nautilus off the island's shores and the island has been known as Nautilus ever since. It was captured from the British on July 26, 1779, by men of the Continental Marines commanded by Paul Revere as part of action undertaken by the Penobscot Expedition.[1]
Nautilus Island is 38acres.[2] It has century-old buildings and tennis courts.[2]
The island features in the opening of the famous poem "Skunk Hour" by Robert Lowell: "Nautilus Island's hermit /heiress still lives through winter in her Spartan cottage; / her sheep still graze above the sea. / ... Thirsting forthe hierarchic privacy / of Queen Victoria's century, / she buys up all / the eyesores facing her shore, / and lets them fall."[3]