Organizing Quonset Hut Camps

Quonset Hut camps could be set up in a variety of ways. In areas at high risk of aerial attacks, for example, the Adak Island camp in Alaska, huts were scattered far apart from each other creating a very irregular layout. The reason for having an inconsistent layout was to make it impossible for a plane firing from above to make more than one hit in a single pass. In such situations, earth was piled at a slope of 15 degrees against the sides of huts to protect against the effects of hits at a distance. In some cases, addition protection against attack was added by having the entrance to the building slightly below ground or adding a barrier in front of the entrance

Where the main goal of the camp was strictly to house a large amount of enlists and officers, camps could be set up in regular rows, staggered rows or in an array. In this manner, a small amount of land could house a high concentration of people.

References:

"Pacific huts on Aerology Hill, 1943." Quonset Hut. Web. 10 Jan 2010.

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"Receiving station, 1945." Quonset Hut. Web. 10 Jan

2010..

"Homoja Village, Naval personnel married quarters, built to accommodate one hundred

families, 1944." Quonset Hut. Web. 10 Jan 2010. .

-Jessie Croll