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September 9, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Victoria Falls

In 1843, Samuel Thomas Alexander and Henry Perrine Baldwin, sons of early missionaries to Hawaiʻi, met in Lāhainā, Maui. They grew up together, became close friends and went on to develop a sugar-growing partnership.

Alexander was the idea man, more outgoing and adventurous of the two. He had a gift for raising money to support his business projects. Baldwin was more reserved and considered the “doer” of the partners; he completed the projects conceived by Alexander.

After studying on the Mainland, Alexander returned to Maui and began teaching at Lahainaluna, where he and his students successfully grew sugar cane and bananas.

Word of the venture spread to the owner of Waiheʻe sugar plantation near Wailuku, and Alexander was offered the manager’s position. Alexander hired Baldwin as his assistant, who at the time was helping his brother raise sugar cane in Lāhainā. This was the beginning of a lifelong working partnership.

In 1869, the young men – Alexander was 33, Baldwin, 27 – purchased 12-acres of land in Makawao and the following year an additional 559-acres. That same year, the partners planted sugar cane on their land marking the birth of what would become Alexander & Baldwin (A&B.)

In 1883, Alexander and Baldwin formalized their partnership by incorporating their sugar business as the Paia Plantation also known at various times as Samuel T Alexander & Co, Haleakala Sugar Co and Alexander & Baldwin Plantation.

By spring of 1900, A&B had outgrown its partnership organization and plans were made to incorporate the company, allowing the company to increase capitalization and facilitate expansion.

A&B was one of Hawaiʻi’s five major companies (that emerged to providing operations, marketing, supplies and other services for the plantations and eventually came to own and manage most of them.) They became known as the Big Five.

Hawaiʻi’s Big Five were: C Brewer (1826;) A Theo H Davies (1845;) Amfac – starting as Hackfeld & Company (1849;) Castle & Cooke (1851) and Alexander & Baldwin (1870.)

“It came as no surprise to Samuel’s family and friends when he announced plans to embark on an African safari in the summer of 1904. Neither did the inclusion of Annie (his daughter).”

“The part of British East Africa that Samuel had selected for their safari was considered at the time to be the greatest hunting ground on the entire African continent, if not in the world.”

“He envisioned an expedition that would traverse a distance of almost 800 miles, beginning several hundred miles northwest of Mombasa near Nakuru and continuing west to the terminal point of the Uganda railroad at Port Florence, approximately 580 miles inland.”

“Henry Stanley and David Livingstone had explored much of this region during the last half of the nineteenth century and their reports had piqued the interest and excitement of adventurers and armchair travelers alike.” (Stein)

“The trip commenced in early April 1904 when father and daughter, aged 67 and 36, traveled by boat from New York to Europe. From there they boarded a German steamer, the Kanzler, from a Dutch port and landed in Mombasa, British East Africa (present day Kenya) more than a month later.” (Childers)

“Samuel’s original itinerary did not call for their journey to end in British East Africa but rather to travel south from Mombasa by steamer and to visit Victoria Falls.”

“Although he and Annie now held less enthusiasm for this significant addition to their journey, at her behest he agreed to go, fearing that if they did not they might always regret it.”

“The two secured passage on the German steamer the Konig, sailing to Beira. From there they traveled by rail to Bulawayo and then to Matapao, a small town on the Zambesi River where they visited the grave of Cecil Rhodes.”

“Rhodes had died two years earlier, a mere three years before the completion of the famed Zambesi Railway Bridge. Through his foresight and backing, the bridge would span the canyon below Victoria Falls, promoting commerce and uniting the areas that became Northern and Southern Rhodesia (now Zambia and Zimbabwe).” (Stein)

“On the morning of September 9 they crossed to the northern shore of the Zambesi River by cable in order to view the great chasm into which the water was falling. Work on the famous 900-foot bridge across the river had barely begun. “

“Finding a trail leading into the Palm Grove Ravine, the two descended to view the falls at their exit point, the narrow chasm from which the water emerges after falling over the precipice.”

“Just as the pair reached the point that afforded them their best view into the chasm, they became aware of small rocks falling from the heights directly above them.”

“They turned and ran, Annie reaching safety first and setting up her camera. While Samuel stood just a few feet from her, a large boulder fell, striking a rock, veering and hitting Samuel on his left foot, disabling him.” (Stein)

“He was transported, in agony and with much loss of blood, to a doctor’s house six miles away where his leg was amputated. He died the next morning, September 10, 1904, at the age of sixty-seven, Annie having sat by his side during the operation and throughout the night. Annie buried her beloved father in a small cemetery at Livingstone, Zambia.” (Williams)

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VictoriaFalls-Bridge
VictoriaFalls-Bridge
Samuel_T._Alexander
Samuel_T._Alexander
Samuel_T._Alexander_and_family
Samuel_T._Alexander_and_family
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Annie_Montague_Alexander
Victoria Falls Bridge
Victoria Falls Bridge
Construction-Victoria-Falls-Bridge
Construction-Victoria-Falls-Bridge
Charles Beresford Fox crossing the gorge for the first time in the 'Bosun's chair', November 1903
Charles Beresford Fox crossing the gorge for the first time in the ‘Bosun’s chair’, November 1903
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victoria-falls-bridge
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Victoria Falls Bridge
Victoria Falls Bridge
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Victoria_Falls
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Victoria_Falls
Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls (Zambia, Zimbabwe)
Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls (Zambia, Zimbabwe)
Victoria Falls Bridge Design
Victoria Falls Bridge Design
Samuel Alexander headstone
Samuel Alexander headstone

Filed Under: General, Place Names, Prominent People, Economy Tagged With: Annie Alexander, Victoria Falls, Zambia, Zambesi River, Hawaii, Samuel Alexander

September 7, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Dr Judd’s Secret Instructions

“In case our Independence be not fully recognized, be endangered by the acts of any other Government. or our Sovereignty in peril or rendered of no value, our Royal Domain being exposed to further hostile attacks without just and good reasons, or from any other cause you may find these Instructions necessary.”

“These are to command and empower you, on your behalf to treat and negotiate with any King, President or Government or Agent thereof for the purpose- of placing our Islands under foreign Protection and Rule.”

“And you are hereby further commanded and empowered to treat and negotiate for the sale of and to sell our Sovereignty of the Hawaiian Islands, if, for reasons above mentioned, or for other good causes you may deem it wise and prudent so to do, reserving in all cases unto US the Ratification of any Treaty or Convention you may sign on our behalf.”

“And you are hereby further empowered to bargain for and sell all our Private Lands, and those of our Chiefs, subject to our Ratification and the free concurrence of our Chiefs. Done at the Palace, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaiian Islands, this seventh day of September, AD 1849.” (Signed by Kamehameha III, Keoni Ana and RC Wyllie)

“His Majesty, Kamehameha III, had determined long before these events to dispose of his crown, which had become one of thorns, to the highest bidder.”

“When (King Kamehameha III) sent the last embassy to the United States, England and France, after the French spoliations, he furnished Dr Judd with powers, to which were affixed the royal signature and seal, with the instructions …”

“… to make the best bargain possible for the disposal of the sovereignty of the Islands, in case of failure in negotiating honorable treaties with the governments to which he was accredited.”

“What stronger proof could be given of his confidence in the fidelity of the Minister of Finance? I have seen these documents. and the knowledge that such unlimited power was delegated to my husband, frightened me with his responsibility. I was glad that he did not make use of them.”

“Under the administration of President Pierce the little Hawaiian Kingdom was looked upon with great favor. The road to Washington was very short, shorter probably than it ever will be again.”

“A project for annexation to the United States, alike honorable to both parties, was drawn up by Judge Lee, at the command of the king, and when approved was placed in the hands of the Minister of Foreign Affairs with orders to negotiate with the American Commissioner a treaty upon this basis.”

“The following were some of his Majesty’s reasons for desiring it: His subjects, native born, were decreasing at a fearful rate, in spite of liberal legislation, a superior civilization, and the ameliorating influences of the Gospel.”

“The blood royal might become extinct, as the dynasty of the Kamehamehas hung on a few precarious lives. The king had, as yet, no reliable protection against the repetition of such treatment as he had received from Lord George Paulet and Admiral de Tromelin.”

“His neighbor, Queen Pomare, was already a subject in her own dominions, which England had failed to protect against the French. That he escaped a similar fate, was owing to wiser counsellors, and the good offices of the United States.”

“All the commerce, and nearly every honorable and lucrative position, were already in the hands of foreigners, as well as large tracts of land. This foreign element would increase, and become more and more difficult to control, always requiring an administration of white men.”

“He wanted money; and his people wanted money. Lands would go to piecemeal in mortgage, for sums borrowed at rates of interest fearfully ruinous. By accepting liberal terms, these wants would be met, and the young princes be amply provided with means with which to gratify their tastes for luxury and foreign travel without losing their prestige of birth, rank, and wealth.”

“The Hawaiians were not to be slaves to their new masters, as some ill-disposed people tried to persuade them, but special stipulations would leave them under the laws entitled to the rights of American citizens.”

“So impatient of delay did His Majesty become, that he urged Dr. Judd to charter a schooner privately and go with him to the coast, thence to Washington, where he would close the bargain in person. Dr. Judd assured him that much as he favored the measure of annexation, he could aid it only as it was openly, honorably, and unanimously approved.”

“It was not strange that the young prince, the heir presumptive to the throne, should withhold his consent to the treaty. He had not yet tasted the sweets of supreme power, nor felt the thorns in the royal crown.”

“Time rolled on, and if his Majesty relinquished, under pressure, his Minister of Finance, he did not the scheme of making his kingdom a part and parcel of the United States.”

“The prospect of it suited the foreigners, gave fresh energy to every branch of business, and increased the value of real estate. Heavy capitalists from the adjoining coast were ready to invest their money in public improvements and plantations.”

“American ships-of-war were at hand, anticipating the honor of bearing the important documents, signed and sealed, to Washington.”

“The signatures were yet wanting; His Majesty more determined and impatient than ever, when he was taken suddenly ill, and died in three weeks, December 15, 1854.”

“At the request of his successor, Kamehameha IV, the negotiations that had been carried on with the US Commissioner, Mr. Gregg, were broken off and Chief Justice WL Lee was sent as ambassador to Washington, where he concluded a treaty of reciprocity July 20, 1855.” (Laura Fish Judd, Suppressed Chapter)

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Kauikeaouli-Kamehameha-III
Kauikeaouli-Kamehameha-III
Gerrit_P_Judd
Gerrit_P_Judd

Filed Under: Economy, Ali'i / Chiefs / Governance, Missionaries / Churches / Religious Buildings, Prominent People Tagged With: Gerrit Judd, Hawaii, Judd, Kauikeaouli, Kamehameha III

September 6, 2018 by Peter T Young 5 Comments

Kahuku Ranch

On July 8, 1861 184,298 acres of Kahuku, the entire ahupua‘a was assigned by King Kamehameha IV to Charles Coffin Harris under Patent 2791 for $3,000. As with most grants it recognized the “ancient boundaries” and reserved “the rights of native tenants.”

Harris, a graduate of Harvard learned the Hawaiian language and set up a law practice in Hawai`i. His service to the kingdom included Minister of Finance, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hawai`i’s first Attorney General, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and then Chief Justice, 1877-1881, police magistrate and legislative member.

Kalākaua studied law under Harris at the age of 17 making it no surprise Harris became the King’s adviser. While no record of Harris’ activities in Kahuku could be found the land may not have been used for ranching until the next owner. (Helen Wong Smith)

Ownership of Kahuku Ranch transferred from Harris to Theophilus Brown of Groton Connecticut on April 3, 1866 for the price of $5,250. Theophilus’ brother Captain Robert Brown operated the Ranch bringing his family with him.

A visitor to the ranch during these years was Mrs. Alura Brown Cutler wrote the ranch had miles of stone walls enclosing gardens, cattle yards, calf pasture, goat and pig pens.

The gardens contained fig and peach trees as well as bananas and mulberries. She reported the house was located seven miles from the sea and five stone houses for families working for the ranch were provided. (Helen Wong Smith)

Then, “On Friday, March 27, 1868, at 5:30 a.m., several whaling ships anchored in Kawaihae Harbor noticed a dense column of fume reflected by a bright light southwest of the summit of Mauna Loa.”

“An eruption near Moku`āweoweo had taken place, lasting several hours before subsiding. Pele’s hair had drifted down upon the residents of Ka‘ū and South Kona, indicating the presence of lava fountains above. (HVO; Helen Wong Smith)

“This was the scene that opened before us as we ascended the ridge on Friday (April 10, 1868). At the left were these four grand fountains playing with terrific fury, throwing blood-red lava and huge stones, some as large as a house, to £ varying from 500 to 1,000 feet.”

“The grandeur of this scene, ever changing like a moving panorama, no one who has not seen it can realize. Then there was the rapid, rolling stream, rushing and tumbling like a swollen river, down the hill, over the precipice and down the valley to the sea, surging and roaring like a cataract, with a fury perfectly indescribable.”

“This river of fire varied from 200 to 800 feet in width, and when it is known that the descent was 2,000 feet in five miles, the statement that it ran at the rate of ten to twenty-five miles an hour will not be doubted.”

“We waited till night, when the scene was a hundred fold more grand and vivid. The crimson red of the lava now doubly bright, the lurid glare of the red smoke-clouds that overhung the whole, …”

“… the roaring of the rushing stream, the noise of the tumbling rocks thrown out of the crater, the flashes of electric lightning, and the sharp quick claps of thunder – altogether made the scene surpassingly grand.” (HM Whitney, editor of the Honolulu Advertiser, April 13, 1868)

“The 1868 flow destroyed the house of Capt. Robert Brown …. The flow advanced so quickly on the house that Captain Brown and his family escaped with only the clothes on their backs.”

“Soon after the eruption, Theophilus sold the ranch to a hui (group) that included George Jones, who bought out his partners’ interests to became sole owner in 1877.”

“Another Mauna Loa eruption in 1887 produced an ‘a‘ā flow to the west of the 1868 eruption. From vent to ocean, the flow advanced 24 km (15 mi) in about 29 hours and came close – but did not damage – Jones’ residential compound.”

“The real impact of the 1887 eruption on Jones’ ranch was the flow of sightseers. George was known as a very hospitable man and, for several weeks, was forced to suspend operations in order to accommodate the hordes of curious visitors.”

“About a year-and-a-half after the 1887 eruption, Jones sold the ranch to Col. Samuel Norris. Norris, described as eccentric and peculiar, was not hospitable to his fellow Caucasians.”

“Another Mauna Loa eruption in 1907 produced lava flows to the west of the 1887 and 1868 flows, further reducing pasture lands. Tourists flocking to the new flows were not welcomed by the new ranch owner.”

“Norris was 66 when he bought the ranch. In 1910, when he realized he was dying, Norris essentially gave away the ranch, “selling” it to his long-time friend, Charles Macomber, for a dollar, complaining that lava flows had devalued the property. Norris died a few months later.”

“The upper reaches of the ranch were overrun by lava in 1903, 1916, and 1926 but these eruptions did not precipitate a sale as the earlier ones had.“

“In 1912, Macomber sold the ranch to A.W. Carter for inclusion in the famed Parker Ranch.” “During this ownership 1,200 head of cattle were largely run on the land nearest the highway, marginally using the land above the 1,400 foot elevation”

“On February 6, 1947 Parker Ranch sold Kahuku to James W Glover founder of the general construction firm bearing his name …. During his ownership Glover planted koa for logging and continued the installation of smooth wire fencing.”

“After Glover’s death, the ranch was sold under court order by the Hawaiian Trust company, the executor of his estate to pay estate debts including inheritance taxes amounting to almost a million dollars. The trustees of the Samuel M. Damon Estate made the winning bid in 1958”. (HVO; Helen Wong Smith)

On July 3, 2003, the National Park Service partnered with the Nature Conservancy to purchase the 116,000-acre Kahuku Ranch from the estate of Samuel Mills Damon as an addition to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, increasing the size of the park by 50% to 333,086 acres. (Vacation and event rentals remain for remnants of the former Kahuku Ranch, makai of the highway)

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Kahuku Ranch-NPS
Kahuku Ranch-NPS
Kahuku Ranch sale-SB
Kahuku Ranch sale-SB

Filed Under: Economy, General, Place Names, Prominent People Tagged With: Samuel Norris, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Charles Macomber, Kau, AW Carter, Parker Ranch, James Glover, Nature Conservancy, Charles Coffin Harris, Samuel M Damon, Kahuku Ranch, Robert Brown, Hawaii, Theophilus Brown, Hawaii Island, George Jones, Kahuku

September 5, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Ahupuaʻa ʻO Kahana State Park

Ahupuaʻa ʻO Kahana State Park (formerly Kahana Valley State Park) is located in Ko‘olauloa on the windward side of O’ahu, between Kane’ohe and Laʻie, and 26 miles from Honolulu. Kahana is a relatively unspoiled valley, and one of only a few publicly owned ahupuaʻa, or ancient Hawaiian land division, in the state. (DLNR)

In 1965, John J. Hulten (real estate appraiser and State Senator) prepared a report for DLNR noting that Kahana was ideally suited to be a regional park, offering seashore water sports, mountain camping, and salt and freshwater fishing, and a tropical botanical garden. “Properly developed it will be a major attraction with 1,000,000 visits annually.”

The “proper development” he had in mind included 600 “developable acres” for camping, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, and swimming, and foresaw over 1,000 camping sites plus cabins, restaurant, and shops.

He said that a hotel and other commercial buildings could be developed, and wanted the creation of a 50 acre lake. All of this development would be assisted by a botanical garden and a mauka road from Likelike Highway to Kahana.

Instead from 1965 to 1969, the State initiated eminent domain proceedings to acquire the land as a way to prevent a proposed resort development and to retain the open space and rural character of the area. (DlNR)

In 1965, the State condemned the property for park purposes with a $5,000,000 price, paid in five annual installments (which included some federal funds.) By 1969, the State owned Kahana free and clear.

The State acquired the ahupua‘a ‘o Kahana in 1969 from the estate of Mary Foster and six individual lessees. The State was prompted to do so by a 1965 report that portrayed Kahana as a blank slate to be developed in a highly commercial way, including 1,000 camping sites, hotel, cabins, restaurant, a botanical garden, a manmade lake, and shops.

An additional factor supporting state acquisition was that it was one of the few, if not the only, ahupua`a left under virtually sole ownership and in a relatively pristine state.

The families living in Kahana at that time had long-standing ties to the valley, and lobbied the Legislature to allow them to stay in the park and preserve their lifestyle. (Legislative Reference Bureau)

In 1970, a Governor’s task force proposed the concept of a living park that would allow the families to stay and in some way participate in the park. The Governor recommended the concept to the Department of Land and Natural Resources. The residents were allowed to stay on the land under revocable leases.

On December 1, 1993, the Board issued thirty-one leases to families living in Kahana, and in most cases the lessees relocated, as a condition for receiving the leases, from their traditional homes near the coast to new residential subdivisions within Kahana and outside of the coastal flood zone. (Legislature)

In lieu of a monetary payment, the State determined that as a condition of their lease each Kahana family would contribute interpretive services per month to the park, to preserve, restore, and share the history and rural lifestyle of the ahupua‘a with the public.

Each family had to have its adult members contribute twenty-five hours of “interpretive services” each month to the park in exchange for their land lease. The scope of the term “interpretive service” was not well defined, which was soon to become a real problem.

Although the original plan was to delay the interpretive requirements for a year to allow residents to build their homes, the interpretative services were not actually required until February 1996. (LRB)

Over the years, communication difficulties have created challenges between park personnel and residents to the detriment of the cultural interpretive program. Some residents are fully up to date in their required hours, some have partially fallen behind, while others are not participating in the program at all. (DURP, 2013)

Requirements for eligible programs included residents’ interest in the program. This requires programs to be reviewed by a committee working with Park Manager and recommended for action. All aspects of scheduled activities (planning, presenting, clean up, etc.) must be voluntary.

Family members over 14 were accepted as eligible to provide counted working hours. The number of interpretive hours was also fixed to 25 hours per family per month required and a lessee could earn an excess of credit hours (maxing out at 150 hours per year). (DURP, 2013)

In 2017, a resolution in the legislature noted, “lessees are required to contribute twenty-five hours per month of cultural interpretive activities to the park in lieu of lease rent, and although most of the residents are of Hawaiian ancestry and a number have tenure in Kahana going back several generations, many of the current lessees are not engaging in cultural practices”.

That resolution also acknowledged that, “lack of consistent lessee participation and documentation of interpretive hours per the lease requirement makes it evident that the “Living Park” concept has not succeeded in the current form and should be reconsidered”. (There was no action on the resolution by the legislature.)

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Kahana Bay, Oahu (HSA)-PPWD-11-7-035-1885
Kahana Bay, Oahu (HSA)-PPWD-11-7-035-1885
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Kahana Kalo-2003 (2)
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Kahana Kalo-2003
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Kahana-(geocaching)
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Filed Under: General, Hawaiian Traditions, Place Names Tagged With: Koolauloa, Kahana, John Hulten, Ahupuaa O Kahana State Park, State Park, Hawaii

September 4, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Marion Eugene Carl

Carl’s imposing list of “firsts.” Beginning with his World War II career, he gained such commendations as

• First Marine Corps ace (at Midway and Guadalcanal)
• Among the first Marines ever to fly a helicopter
• First Marine to land aboard an aircraft carrier
• First U.S. military aviator to wear a full pressure suit
• As a brigadier general, commanded the first Marines to land in Vietnam
• Test pilot in the pioneer days of jet aviation
• The world’s altitude and speed records
• Retired as Inspector General of the Marine Corps
• First living Marine admitted to the Naval Aviation Hall of Honor
• First Marine to be named to the Navy Carrier Aviation Test Pilots Hall of Honor (Carl & Tillman)

Marion Carl was born into a farming family in the Willamette Valley on November 1, 1915, the second of four children of Herman Lee Carl, a dairy farmer, and Ellen Lavine Ellingsen Carl.

He graduated from Oregon State University in 1938 with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering. He entered the U.S. Army Engineer Corps Reserve on May 31, 1938, and enlisted in the US Marine Corps Reserve on August 17, 1938.

Carl then entered the Aviation Cadet Program of the Marine Corps on September 27, 1938, beginning active duty on November 15, 1938, and was commissioned a 2d Lt and designated a Naval Aviator on December 1, 1939.

He ended up fighting in flying in WWII (including at Midway and Guadalcanal), Korean conflict and Vietnam. He logged more than 13,000 hours of military flight time, and for 30 years was thought by many to be the Marines’ finest pilot. (Tillman)

In a vicious dogfight at Midway the Americans lost plane after plane. After the ‘all clear,’ the Midway radio called: “Fighters land, refuel by divisions….” No fighters landed. Then came the call, “All fighters land and reservice,” only ten planes came back, and only two would ever fly again.

It was the heaviest loss the Marines suffered in a single air battle during the entire war. Capt. Carl flew one of only two planes sent up in the second defensive sortie from Midway.

On August 7, 1942, at Guadalcanal, two months after Midway, Marines stormed ashore in the Solomons during the first American offensive of World War II. He became an ace on August 26, 1942.

During an aerial fight off the coast of Guadalcanal on September 9, he was forced to bail out of his shot-up Wildcat and was losing his battle to swim ashore against the tide, when he was picked up by friendly natives in a canoe. After five days with the natives, he finally made his way back to his base.

A year later, he returned to combat in the Solomons. By the end of 1943, Major Carl’s total of enemy aircraft destroyed was 18½ with 3 damaged, making him the seventh highest-scoring Marine fighter pilot of World War II.

After the War, Marion Carl was assigned as a test pilot at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, testing jet aircraft on aircraft carriers. He was also the first Marine Corps pilot to fly a helicopter. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel August 7, 1947.

At Muroc Army Air Field (now Edwards Air Force Base) Marion Carl tested the Douglas D-558-I Skystreak and D-558-II Skyrocket, setting world records for speed and altitude.

(Chuck Yeager, the Air Force’s top test pilot, wrested away the title of world’s fastest human by breaking the sound barrier two months later, also at Muroc. He flew a Bell X-1 rocket plane at Mach 1.07 – 700 mph – on October 14, 1947.)

In 1955, Colonel Carl commanded Marine Photo Reconnaissance Squadron One and flew on secret missions over the People’s Republic of China.

By 1962, Colonel Carl was Director of Marine Corps Aviation. He was promoted to brigadier general, June 1, 1964. He commanded the First Marine Brigade during the Vietnam War and flew combat missions in jet fighters and helicopter gun ships.

Carl was promoted to major general in August 1967, with his date of rank retroactive to June 1, 1964. Carl commanded the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, then served as Inspector General of the Marine Corps from 1970 until 1973.

During his military career, Major General Carl was awarded the Navy Cross with two gold stars (three awards); The Legion of Merit with valor device and three gold stars (four awards); The Distinguished Flying Cross with four gold stars (five awards); and the Air Medal with two gold and two silver stars (twelve awards).

Tragically, General Carl was murdered in Roseburg, Oregon, June 28, 1998, as he defended his wife, Edna, during a home-invasion robbery. Mrs. Carl was wounded, but survived.

In 2009, the Marine base at Kāne’ohe Bay was designated Marine Corps Air Station Kāne’ohe Bay (it was formerly an “air facility,” the new “air station” title denotes greater activity than “air facility.”)

At that time, the name the airfield was named in honor of retired Maj. Gen. Marion E. Carl. (Lots of information here is from Tillman, Willetts, This Day in Aviation, Swops, Veteran Tributes and Lemoore Mud Run.)

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CARL-Marion-E.-Major-USMC-with-Vought-F4U-Corsair-1943
CARL-Marion-E.-Major-USMC-with-Vought-F4U-Corsair-1943
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Marion E Carls speed Record attempt-Skystreak-Acrylic
Marion E Carls speed Record attempt-Skystreak-Acrylic
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Douglas-D-558-I-Skystreak-low-pass
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CARL-Marion-E.-MAJ-USMC-and-CALDWELL-Turner-F.-Jr.-CDR-USN-with-Bu.-No.-37970
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mecarl-gravesite-photo

Filed Under: Prominent People, Military Tagged With: Hawaii, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Military, Naval Air Station Kaneohe, Marion Eugene Carl, Marion E Carl Field

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Images of Old Hawaiʻi

People, places, and events in Hawaiʻi’s past come alive through text and media in “Images of Old Hawaiʻi.” These posts are informal historic summaries presented for personal, non-commercial, and educational purposes.

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Hoʻokuleana LLC

Hoʻokuleana LLC is a Planning and Consulting firm assisting property owners with Land Use Planning efforts, including Environmental Review, Entitlement Process, Permitting, Community Outreach, etc. We are uniquely positioned to assist you in a variety of needs.

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