Quonset barracks

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Quonset barracks in front of Laguna Peak, Point Mugu, California, 1946.
A Quonset barrack during installation at the 598th Engineer Base Depot in Japan, after World War II .

A Quonset barracks (/ ˈkwɒnsɪt /) is a lightweight, prefabricated structure made of corrugated iron with a semicircular cross-section. The design was developed in the United States on the model of the British Nissen huts from the First World War . Hundreds of thousands of them were produced during World War II. Military overstock was sold. The name comes from the place where they were first made: Quonset Point in the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center in Davisville, Rhode Island .

Design and history

Quonset barracks have been produced by many independent contract manufacturers in many countries around the world. The first were built in 1941 when the United States Navy needed an all-purpose, lightweight building that could be shipped anywhere and assembled by unskilled workers. The construction company of George A. Fuller made the draft; the first barracks were built just 60 days after the contract was signed.

The original design was a 17 x 36 foot (4.88 x 10.97 m) structure with steel parts with an 8 foot (2.44 m) radius. The most common design had a standard size of 20 × 48 feet (6.1 × 14.63 m) with a 16 feet (4.88 m) radius, resulting in a floor space of 960 square feet (89.19 m²) of usable space optional 4 foot (1.22 m) overhangs at both ends of the barracks for weather protection of the entrances. Other sizes have also been developed, such as 20 by 40 foot (6.1 by 12.19 m) and 40 foot by 100 foot (12.19 by 30.48 m) warehouse models.

The sides were made of corrugated iron. The two ends were clad with veneer plywood into which doors and windows were let. The inside was insulated and lined with wood chipboard. The floor was made of wood. The building could be placed on concrete, deep foundations or directly on the ground with a wooden floor. The original design used low-alloy steel , which was later replaced with steel with better rust resistance . The flexible interior was open, so that it could be used as a team accommodation , toilet, doctor and dentist's practice, special isolation ward , service building or bakery.

Quonset barracks adapted for commercial use in Westland, Michigan

Between 150,000 and 170,000 Quonset barracks were built during the Second World War. The military sold its excess stocks to private buyers after the war. Many remained throughout the United States as outbuildings, commercial buildings, or even residential buildings. There are many in military museums and other WWII memorial sites. Many were used as makeshift post-war dwellings across the United States, such as at Rodger Young Village in Los Angeles, California . Some are still used in United States military bases.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Benefits and Applications of the Quonset Hut Design. In: alaskastructures.com. May 17, 2016, accessed November 18, 2019 .