The first Quonset huts were manufactured in 1941 when the United States Navy needed an all-purpose, lightweight building that could be shipped anywhere and assembled without skilled labor.[2][better source needed] The George A. Fuller construction company manufactured them, and the first was produced within 60 days of signing the contract.[3] In 1946, the Great Lakes Steel Corporation claimed "the term 'Quonset,' as applied to builders and building materials, is a trade mark owned by the Great Lakes Steel Corporation."[4] But the word is often used generically. Today similar structures are made by many contractors in countries around the world.
The original design was a 16-by-36-foot (4.9 m × 11.0 m) structure framed with steel members with an 8-foot (2.4 m) radius. The most common design created a standard size of 20-by-48-foot (6.1 m × 14.6 m) with a 16-foot (4.9 m) radius[dubious – discuss], allowing 960 square feet (89 m2) of usable floor space with optional 4 feet (1.2 m) overhangs at each end for protection of entrances from the weather. Other sizes were developed, including 20-by-40-foot (6.1 m × 12.2 m) and 40-by-100-foot (12 m × 30 m) warehouse models.[5]
The sides were corrugated steel sheets, and the two ends were covered with plywood which had doors and windows. The interior was insulated and had pressed wood lining and a wood floor. The building could be placed on concrete, on pilings, or directly on the ground with a wood floor. The original design used low-grade steel, which was later replaced by a more rust-resistant version. The flexible interior space was open, allowing use as barracks, latrines, medical and dental offices, isolation wards, housing, and bakeries.
Between 150,000 and 170,000 Quonset huts were manufactured during World War II, and the military sold its surplus huts to the public after the war.[5] Many remain standing throughout the United States as outbuildings, businesses, or even homes, and they are often seen at military museums and other places featuring World War II memorabilia. Many were also used around the United States for temporary postwar housing, such as Rodger Young Village for veterans and their families in Los Angeles, California, and the Quonset Park complex of married student housing at the University of Iowa.[6] Some are still in active use at United States military bases. The U.S. Department of Energy continues to utilize Quonset huts as supporting structures (fabrication and machine shops, warehouses, etc.) at the Nevada National Security Site.
^Building the Navy's Bases in World War II: History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps, 1940–1946, volume 1, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1947.
quonset, other, uses, quonset, disambiguation, lightweight, prefabricated, structure, corrugated, galvanized, steel, having, semi, cylindrical, cross, section, design, developed, united, states, based, nissen, introduced, british, during, world, hundreds, thou. For other uses see Quonset disambiguation A Quonset hut ˈ k w ɒ n s ɪ t is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel having a semi cylindrical cross section The design was developed in the United States based on the Nissen hut introduced by the British during World War I Hundreds of thousands were produced during World War II and military surplus was sold to the public The name comes from the site of their first deployment at Quonset Point at the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center in Davisville Rhode Island 1 Quonset huts at Point Mugu California in 1946 Laguna Peak in background A Quonset hut being put in place at the 598th Engineer Base Depot in Japan post World War II Contents 1 Design and history 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksDesign and history EditThe first Quonset huts were manufactured in 1941 when the United States Navy needed an all purpose lightweight building that could be shipped anywhere and assembled without skilled labor 2 better source needed The George A Fuller construction company manufactured them and the first was produced within 60 days of signing the contract 3 In 1946 the Great Lakes Steel Corporation claimed the term Quonset as applied to builders and building materials is a trade mark owned by the Great Lakes Steel Corporation 4 But the word is often used generically Today similar structures are made by many contractors in countries around the world The original design was a 16 by 36 foot 4 9 m 11 0 m structure framed with steel members with an 8 foot 2 4 m radius The most common design created a standard size of 20 by 48 foot 6 1 m 14 6 m with a 16 foot 4 9 m radius dubious discuss allowing 960 square feet 89 m2 of usable floor space with optional 4 feet 1 2 m overhangs at each end for protection of entrances from the weather Other sizes were developed including 20 by 40 foot 6 1 m 12 2 m and 40 by 100 foot 12 m 30 m warehouse models 5 The sides were corrugated steel sheets and the two ends were covered with plywood which had doors and windows The interior was insulated and had pressed wood lining and a wood floor The building could be placed on concrete on pilings or directly on the ground with a wood floor The original design used low grade steel which was later replaced by a more rust resistant version The flexible interior space was open allowing use as barracks latrines medical and dental offices isolation wards housing and bakeries Quonset hut adapted for commercial use in Westland Michigan A Quonset Hut in Dade City Florida Between 150 000 and 170 000 Quonset huts were manufactured during World War II and the military sold its surplus huts to the public after the war 5 Many remain standing throughout the United States as outbuildings businesses or even homes and they are often seen at military museums and other places featuring World War II memorabilia Many were also used around the United States for temporary postwar housing such as Rodger Young Village for veterans and their families in Los Angeles California and the Quonset Park complex of married student housing at the University of Iowa 6 Some are still in active use at United States military bases The U S Department of Energy continues to utilize Quonset huts as supporting structures fabrication and machine shops warehouses etc at the Nevada National Security Site See also EditDaniel House Knoxville Tennessee Dymaxion deployment unit Iris hut Jamesway hut Longhouses of the indigenous peoples of North America Romney hut Patera BuildingReferences Edit Building the Navy s Bases in World War II History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps 1940 1946 volume 1 Government Printing Office Washington D C 1947 Quonset Hut History From World War II amp Beyond SteelMaster Building Systems https www steelmasterusa com quonset huts history accessed 6 29 2022 Seabee Museum and Memorial Park Quonset Huts www seabeesmuseum com Retrieved 2022 01 01 Not Quonset The Dunn County News March 13 1946 p 1 a b Michael Lamm Winter 1998 The Instant Building Invention amp Technology Volume 13 Issue 3 pp 68 72 Retrieved 28 May 2020 https spectator uiowa edu 2010 january oldgold html Temporary Housing Not Much But It s Home University of Iowa SpectatorExternal links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Quonset huts Feature article on the design and origin of the Quonset Hut from the Varnum Continentals historical organization in East Greenwich RI Archived History of Quonset Hut from the U S Naval History and Heritage Command website Quonset Hut History in Washington State Archived 2017 06 27 at the Wayback Machine Washington State Department of Archaeology amp Historic Preservation Quonset Huts at Guampedia Guam s Online Encyclopedia Quonset Huts At National Airport Arlington Arlington County VA at the Historic American Buildings Survey HABS Quonset and Pacific Huts at the Kodiak Military History Museum Pacific Huts at the online encyclopedia of Washington State History Quonset Hut search Pacific Hut Company at the Seabee Museum and Memorial Park Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Quonset hut amp oldid 1127381999, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
