Navies around the world have been bedeviled by new problems created by the Internet. Be it the U.S. Navy having a photograph of the propeller of an Ohio-Class ballistic-missile submarine visible on Microsoft’s Live Search, or the Russian Navy having details of its latest submarine posted on a city’s website. It is again the U.S. Navy’s turn to have a satellite image cause embarrassment. At the Naval Amphibious Base (NAB), Coronado there is a barracks building, which when viewed from above, bears a sticking resemblance to a swastika.

Link to map.
This picture demonstrates one of the problems created by the use of the swastika by the Nazi Party. The swastika has an appealing look to it, which was probably the reason the Navy happened to use this shape. Note: there is no suggestion in this post, nor is there any evidence that the Navy intended to portray the symbol when designing the building. The swastika is used in numerous cultures and religions, including Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and the Navajo.
That being said, it may be unfortunate, but the swastika is not an acceptable image in the Western world, because of its use by the Nazi Party. And it is unlikely that this will change any time soon. The same fate has befallen the mustache style worn by Hitler. It is just not acceptable. Although, that does presuppose that any mustache is acceptable, which in this author’s opinion is never the case.
yojoe out
Filed under: Military, Navy | 28 Comments »