The Fighting Seabees, a Comic

"True Comic" comicbook added a chapter in a 1943 series on the Fighting Seabees which was used as a recruiting tool during WWII.

Source: True Comic Issue #29, (Chicago: True Comics, Inc., 1941 - 1959).

Alternative Assemblies

The principle for building all types of Quonset huts are the same. However, some Seabee Battalions created their variation of assembling and transporting for the sake of efficiency. 

The 90^th Battalion at Iwo Jima, for example, developed a time-saving method of pouring concrete slabs at one location and erecting the hut frames at another. After the frame was erected, the Seabees carried the huts to the dried foundation[1].

In Alaska, civilian contractors who were more familiar with the local climate, landscape, and traditions developed sled systems to help transport fully erected Quonset huts to remote locations. Sled runners were bolted to the floors of the Quonset huts and created mobile camps nicknamed “Wannigans”[2].

On dry land, similar methods like the “Wannigans” were used. Rather than sled runners, steel semi-trailer systems built using stock steel components and wheels from heavy equipment vehicles were used to relocate Quonset huts from Camp Deluz, California. 20-B cranes were used to lift the entire hut and secured to the trailer that was pulled by a KR-10 tracker at 25mph to its new location[3].

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[1] Chris Chiei, How the Hut Came to Be, (NJ, Princeton Architecture Press, 2005), 27

[2] Chiei, 27

[3] Chiei, 27

Seabees and the Assembly of the Quonset Huts

According to an instruction manual by the U.S. Naval Civil Engineering laboratory, the 40’ x 100’ Utility Quonset Hut could be assembled by 10 men in 323 hours[1].  The assembly was divided into four sections: ribs and purlins, end wall framing, roof sheeting, and building flashing, each requiring 68, 93, 157, and 5 man-hours respectively[2].  Although this is the manual to construct a larger version of the standard Quonset Hut, the principle is the same for the assembly of all types of Quonset Huts.

The ribs and purlins are first assembled on the ground, and then hoisted to the foundation by a manila rope choker attached to the crown of the rib[3]. The rib is guided into place and attached onto the foundation by anchor bolts. Purlins are then bolted to the ribs to stabilize the frame laterally.

The endwall frames are similar to the body of the Quonset Hut, with ribs and girt that are fastened by studs. Cover sheets and door leaves are attached to the endwall frames[4].  The cover sheets are placed horizontally and self-tapping metal screws are used to secure the sheets to the structural frame. Then 3’x7’ walk-in doors and 2’x9” windows are installed.

Roof sheeting is used to cover the main body frame. The sheeting is placed, caulked and fastened. Lap joints in the sheeting are caulked by hand-operated mastic guns and stitched with self-tapping metal screws[5]. Finally, steel flashings are installed in the junctions between the endwalls and roof, and in the openings around the windows and walk-in doors. Prefabricated flashing was provided, and was field-cut to fit.

The layout of the Quonset camps are determined by the planning instructions provided to the Seabees. A slight rearrangement of the plan is permissible, however the huts must remain scattered at a distance to prevent more than one possible hit in a single pass of an air raid. Further protection from planes is achieved through banking earth over part of the shelter. The covering should be about 3 ½ feet above floor level and sloped back 15 degrees[6]. The occupants of the Quonset Hut are then protected against the effects of bursts at a distance.  

Modifications to the assembly of the Quonset Hut may be made based on its geographical location.  In tropical regions, it may be desirable to omit the embankments and support the hut on blocks to permit circulation of air beneath the hut, prevent flooding, and reduce termite damage[7]. Water collecting troughs, and overhangs created by insert bulkheads were also added, while the oil heater and vent stack were replaced by a third ventilator.  In colder climates, heat loss and dampness can be prevented by layering the floor panels with tarred paper during or after construction of the hut[8]. In addition, residual framing lumber was used to create a separate entry to trap the cold air, and prevent it from entering the hut.  

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[1] U.S. Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory, Evaluation of 40- by 100- foot Arch-Rib Utility Building, (California, Port Hueneme, 1963)

[2] U.S. Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory

[3] U.S. Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory

[4] U.S. Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory

[5] U.S. Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory

[6] Chris Chiei, How the Hut Came to Be, (NJ, Princeton Architecture Press, 2005), 14

[7] Chiei, 14

[8] Chiei, 14

Seabees and the Invasion of Normandy

During the summer of 1943, planning for the invasion of Normandy was underway in Quebec. The role of the American naval forces was to land on the French coast. In order for the mission to be accomplished successfully, supply depots, large enough to store and issue great quantities of naval supplies and shore bases to support the upcoming amphibious needed to be built. Base construction first began in southern England in preparation for the battle of Normandy

The largest single base construction was built onto the golf course of a country club in Exeter, Devon. Construction for the depot began on Oct 11, 1943 which 578 000 sq feet of covered storage most of which provided by 40 x 100 feet Quonset-huts, personnel quarters for 1 000 men and office facilities provided by standard sized Quonset-hut, and 7 miles of roadway to serve the base were built.

Other principal locations along the English Channel for the amphibious base include Falmouth, Fowey, Plymouth, Salcombe, Dartmouth, and Teignmouth. 

Existing houses and hotels in these locations provided housing for soldiers, however they were limited and new forms of housing needed to be built. These housing usually consisted of Quonset hut, or similar huts of British design – Nissen Huts, and tents. In Plymouth and Milford are two major hospitals provided entirely of Quonset Huts with the capacity to hold 500 beds and 200 beds respectively.

Personnel accommodations provided in England

Location	New camps			Alterations						Total
	Huts		Tents	British barracks			Houses and hotels			Total
	Officers	Enlisted Personnel	Officers	Enlisted Personnel	Officers	Enlisted Personnel		Officers	Enlisted Personnel	Officers	Enlisted Personnel
Falmouth	48	2059	---	1146	---	---		120	528	168	3733
Fowey	104	1500	---	---	---	---		101	930	205	2430
Plymouth	482	4172	---	186	106	296		45	371	633	5025
Salcombe	32	900	---	---	---	---		105	893	137	1793
Dartmouth	138	750	---	462	150	1750		90	344	378	3306
Teignmouth	8	---	---	---	---	---		48	817	56	817
Milford Haven	71	800	---	---	---	102		---	---	71	902
Penarth	28	425	---	---	---	---		47	514	75	939
St. Mawes	8	264	---	---	---	---		62	530	70	794
Saltash	0	150	---	---	---	---		30	150	30	300
Calstock	---	---	---	---	---	---		20	125	20	125
Weymouth	---	---	80	500	120	1113		26	679	226	2292
Poole	---	---	---	402	150	1160		19	100	169	1662
Southampton	24	34	---	250	---	---		53	366	77	650

Because the Seabees were so essential to the Invasion of Normandy, an establishment of Seabee base of operations near the English Channel would bring the Seabees closer to action. This base of operations was established on March 1944 at Heathfield , Devon. For the first month, the 81^st Battalion worked on the camp before construction was turned over to the 29^th Battalion in late April. When complete, the camp provided housing for 1000 men, a third of which be in the form of Quonset Huts and the remainder where tents. Storage, repair facilities for construction and transport were also provided through larger versions of Quonset Huts. 

Open storage area, left and upper left; large single quonset hut, transportation department's garage; small huts, offices and personnel quarters; two double huts (right foreground), messhall and recreation huts; tents used for temporarily housing transient Seabees.