The Rich History Fort Kamehameha, Oahu, Hawaii
The fort's eastern part was located in the district of Moanalua. It was royal territory conquered by Kamehameha I in the 1790s and ultimately transferred to Bernice Pauahi Bishop (called "Bishop's Point"), who in turn acquired it in 1884 from Samuel Mills Damon. The western side, dubbed Halawa, was Queen Emma of Hawaii's old beachfront residence. The sand dunes had previously been utilized as a burial ground. It was utilized by the United States Army in 1901 and was seized by the federal government of the United States in 1907 via condemnation of Emma's land. Occasionally, it was referred to as "Queen Emma Military Reservation" or "Queen Emma Point."
Under President Theodore Roosevelt, Secretary of War William Howard Taft led a commission to examine coastal fortifications in light of "possessions" such as Hawaii and the Philippines, based on the conclusions of the Board of Fortifications. Originally called Fort Upton in honor of General Emory Upton (1839–1881), Archibald Cleghorn proposed on January 28, 1909 that the name be changed to commemorate Kamehameha I, the first monarch of the united Hawaiian islands.
Fort Kamehameha, unlike Fort DeRussy, is situated on an active Air Force Base and is thus not accessible to the public. Visitors must have a military identity card or request admission to the installation at the Hickam Air Force Base visitor center. Since the fort's closure in 1951, most of the area it occupied has been utilized by the Hawaii Air National Guard, which pilots America's most sophisticated aircraft, the F-22 Raptor. The majority of the surviving structures are ancient homes that have been abandoned and are no longer in use.
There is a marker, which honors Corporal Claude Bryant, Private Eugene Bubb, Private First Class Oreste Datorre, and Private Donat Duquette Jr. of the Charlie Battery, 41st Coastal Artillery, and Private Edward Sullivan of the Charlie Battery, 55th Coastal Artillery, can be found in the area. All five of these servicemen were killed while defending Fort Kamehameha during the Pearl Harbor attack.
Fort Kamehameha Beach
Fort Kamehameha Beach is located on Honolulu's shoreline. Fort Kamehameha Beach Oahu offers a variety of facilities, including free parking, street parking, and picnic tables. Swimming is a great sport to attempt at Fort Kamehameha Beach. Additionally, the neighborhood is densely packed with food stores and restaurants, making it convenient to get a bite to eat.
The final thoughts
Most visitors would find a journey to Fort Kamehameha to be tedious and not worth the time and effort required to travel to Hickam Air Force Base. However, for true World War II history enthusiasts, Fort Kamehameha is a little-known part of the Pearl Harbor attack that I thought was worth checking out.
