History of Quonsets
Who invented the Quonset hut and when?
The George Fuller construction company is credited with being the first company to manufacture Quonset huts on behalf of the US Navy in 1941. The exact inventor or designer isn’t known, but the design is based on the Nissen Hut design that originated from World War I.
In World War II, the U.S. Navy needed buildings that could be quickly assembled and disassembled but could withstand the rigors of the military and the Quonset hut was created. In essence, the Quonset hut wasn’t necessarily invented but was a vast improvement of the Nissen Hut.
The U.S. Navy wanted an all-purpose building that was lightweight, easy to ship and easy to assemble. On top of that, Quonset huts have several key advantages that made them the obvious building of choice in World War II:
- Clear span interior - with no structural support poles or walls, they allow for unobstructed building space
- Strength of building - by using steel, they have undeniable strength
- Quick construction - because they are designed to be produced and assembled as kits, they take minimal time to erect
- Portable - they can be assembled, disassembled and moved to different bases depending on their need
How did the Quonset get its name?
The Quonset hut is named after the location it was first built, the Davisville Naval
Construction Battalion Center at Quonset Point, Rhode Island. This proved to be a
valuable and strategic location for the Navy, with the Construction Battalion Center
creating Quonset huts for the surrounding Camp Thomas, Camp Endicott, the Advanced Base Depot, and the Advanced Base Proving Ground as well as creating them to be shipped around the world.
