Everything about Honolulu Harbor totally explained
Honolulu Harbor, also called
Kulolia and
Ke Awa O Kou, is the principal
seaport of
Honolulu and the
State of Hawaii in the
United States. It is from Honolulu Harbor, located on Mamala Bay, that the
City & County of Honolulu was developed and urbanized, in an outward fashion, over the course of the modern history of the island of
Oahu. Surrounding Honolulu Harbor is
downtown Honolulu.
Statistics
Honolulu Harbor is administered by the Hawaii State Department of Transportation Harbors Division. Honolulu Harbor handles over 11 million tons of cargo annually. The services that the harbor provides are crucial as Hawaii imports over eighty percent of its required goods.
Early history
Archaeological surveys conclude that the area around Honolulu Harbor was bustling with human activity prior to
1100. The first European vessel to enter Honolulu Harbor was HMS
Butterworth in
1794, a British ship commanded by Captain William Brown. Sailors aboard the ship dubbed the harbor
Brown's Harbor to their captain's dismay. Captain Brown insisted that the harbor be called
Fair Haven.
Fair Haven is translated into the
Hawaiian language as
Honolulu.
In
1850, Kamehameha III declared Honolulu to be the official capital of the
Kingdom of Hawaii. With the proclamation came a series of investments to further develop the harbor to accommodate more vessels. Honolulu Harbor quickly became the chief port of call for the trans-Pacific
sandalwood,
fur and
whaling industries. Foreign vessels that docked at Honolulu Harbor poured vast amounts of wealth into the kingdom's coffers and provided for the well-being of
native Hawaiians.
Aloha Tower
On
September 11,
1926, after five years of construction, the world-famous
Aloha Tower was officially dedicated at Pier 9 of Honolulu Harbor. The tallest building in Hawaii at that time, the Aloha Tower became a guiding beacon welcoming vessels to Honolulu. Just as the
Statue of Liberty greeted thousands of immigrants each year to
New York City, the Aloha Tower greeted thousands of immigrants to Honolulu. By the time the Aloha Tower was dedicated, Honolulu was already a popular vacation destination for wealthy American and European families. They traveled on
Matson steamers that docked at the Aloha Tower and were greeted by
Hawaiian music,
hula performers and
leis.
When the
attack on Pearl Harbor came on
December 7,
1941, Coast Guardsmen from the
USCGC Taney were ordered to take up defensive positions around Aloha Tower and protect it from being occupied. The Aloha Tower was painted in
camouflage so as to disappear at night.
Recent developments
In
1982, the
Hawaii Maritime Center was opened near the Aloha Tower in an old royal pier to present the history of Honolulu Harbor and the relative industries it served. Docked at the royal pier is the
Falls of Clyde, a historic shipping vessel and
Hōkūlea, a historic Hawaiian voyaging canoe. In
2002, the Hawaii Maritime Center became an incorporated institution of the
Bishop Museum. In
1994, the
Aloha Tower Marketplace opened making Honolulu Harbor the only harbor in the nation to combine a visitor attraction, retail and restaurant outlets, and working commercial harbor facilities at a single location.
Resources
Further Information
Get more info on 'Honolulu Harbor'.
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