Navy Barracks to get a facelift

CORONADO, Calif. -- The U.S. Navy will spend as much as $600,000 to modify the appearance of a barracks complex in Coronado that resembles a swastika from the air.

Navy officials said the spending for changes to the four L-shaped buildings were approved after satellite images from Google Earth revealed the swastika-like shape.

"We don't want to be associated with something as symbolic and hateful as a swastika," Navy spokesman Scott Sutherland told the L.A. Times.

The newspaper reported that the money will go toward changes in walkways, "camouflage" landscaping and rooftop photovoltaic cells.

Navy officials say the buildings' shape was not noted until after the groundbreaking in 1967.

Since it was not visible from the ground, officials decided not to make any changes.

But aerial photos made available on Google Earth revealed the buildings' shape to a wide audience of computer users.