Until becoming a U.S. state in 1959, Hawaii has been under quite a few rulers and had many different outside influences. From early Polynesian settlement and kings, to the arrival of the British and French, Asian immigration, the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, and then even a short period of time as a republic, Hawaii has had a great deal of different military backgrounds.
Early settlement began when Polynesians migrated to the island in canoes. There were a few different groups of these original migrants. In 1810, under King Kamehameha, Hawaii was united as a whole for the first time. The Kamehameha family ruled until 1872. Throughout the 1800’s French and British missionaries were sent to the islands. There were multiple invasions of the islands, including one incident where Kamehameha surrendered to the Royal Navy, but was later given Hawaii’s sovereignty back and an apology. Hawaii was recognized by the U.S., the United Kingdom, France, and Germany as an independent sovereign state until 1898. Hawaii also signed a treaty with the U.S. in 1874 for exclusive trading rights. Between 1887 and 1895 there were five rebellions against the government of Hawaii.
In 1896 President William McKinley wrote a treaty of annexation, but it failed within the senate. He and Congressman Francis Newlands then wrote a joint resolution called the “Newlands Resolution” in 1898 for the official annexation and Hawaii officially became territory of the U.S. on February 22, 1900. On August 21, 1959, with a 94% vote in favor, Hawaii became a U.S. state under the Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Since this time, Hawaii’s military has been a part of the United States’ military. Hawaii has been a very large part of the U.S. Navy and its developments had beginnings even before it was a state.
The first U.S. Navy shoreline presence was just outside of Honolulu in 1860. It resulted from the lease of a coal station. In 1893 the USS Boston located in Honolulu insured the successful dethroning of Queen Liliokalani. In 1895 the Royalists attempted a counter-revolution and the presence of the USS Philadelphia diminished this possibility. After the annexation of Hawaii in 1898, an order to prepare Honolulu for warehouses, wharves, and coal sheds. There was also an order for the survey of Pearl Harbor. “Naval Station, Hawaii”, which was to be located in Honolulu, was commissioned in 1899. More land was designated for naval use, and the land around Pearl Harbor was under acquisition for naval use. By 1940 over $100,000,000 had been used on the improvement of this establishment.
On December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor underwent one of the biggest attacks on the U.S. in history. The Japanese bombed the harbor in their attempt to take down the American Pacific fleet. Six Japanese carriers launched 183 planes at Ford Island, following with a fleet of 170 planes at Pearl Harbor. Unwarned the United State’s Navy had no idea it was coming. Nine ships were completely sunk, along with 21 damaged.
Over the years to come, Hawaii’s importance as a naval and military center had no equal anywhere in the world. It was the site of the greatest naval base, as well as supplied to and was the training center for Army forces that faced the hardest fighting job in military history. Hawaii now has one air force base, three army posts (one of which is a medical center), two coast guard bases, one marine base, two navy bases, and two military resorts.
