Sailing, Shipping & Shipwrecks | Page 42

October 8, 2017 by Peter T Young 3 Comments

Ships to Hawaii Before 1819

The following is a chronological listing of voyages to Hawai‘i. The information is from a summary from Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society (HMCS) and is limited to material in the library of the Mission Houses’ library, one of the largest of Hawaiiana in existence.)

While a complete list is desirable, to accomplish this, it would be necessary to examine carefully all the known ships’ logs, private journals, newspapers and other old documents. While it may not be a complete listing, it notes the bulk of voyages to the Islands. (Judd, HMCS)

1778
Resolution – Captain James Cook, arrived January 18, 1778, departed Feb. 2, 1778; Discovery – Captain Charles Clerke
Second visit – arrived Nov. 26, 1778, departed Feb. 4, 1779; but a broken mast on the Resolution forced both vessels to return Feb. 11, 1779. Captain Cook was killed Feb 14. Vessels finally left islands March 13, 1779.
“For several years after this melancholy event no ship visited the islands after Captain Cook.” (Dibble)

1786
King George – British registry, Capt Nathaniel Portlock, arrived May 24, 1786, departed Jun 13, 1786 – came a second time in Nov 1786 and a third in Sept. 1787. Accompanied by Queen Charlotte.
Queen Charlotte – British registry, Capt. George Dixon, with Portlock’s expedition, arrived May 26, 1786, departed June 13, 1786
Boussole – French naval frigate, La Pérouse in command; arrived May 29, 1786, departed May 30, 1786. He landed at Maui only. Accompanied by Astrolabe.
Astrolabe – French naval frigate, de Langle in command, with La Pérouse’s expedition; arrived May 29, 1786, departed May 30, 1786.

1787
Nootka – British registry; John Meares, master; arrived Aug. 2, 1787, departed Sept. 2, 1787.
Queen Charlotte – British registry; Capt George Dixon; with Portlock’s expedition; arrived Sept. 5, 1787, departed Sept. 18, 1787
King George – British registry; Capt. Nathaniel Portlock; arrived Sept. 27, 1787, departed Oct. 8, 1787
Imperial Eagle or Loudoun – Charles William Barkley, master
Prince of Wales – British registry; James Colnett, master; spent winter of 1787-88 at Hawaii; accompanied by Princess Royal
Princess Royal – British registry, merchant vessel; Charles Duncan, master; spent winter of 1787-88 at Hawaii with Prince of Wales

1788
Felice – Britsh registry; John Meares, master; arrived Oct. 18, 1788, departed Oct. 26, 1788
Iphigenia – British registry, ship; William Douglas, master; arrived Dec. 6, 1788, departed Mar. 16, 1789; accompanied by North West America
North West America – British registry, schooner; Robert Funter, master; arrived Dec. 6, 1799, departed March 15, 1789; accompanied by North West America

1789
Iphigenia – British registry; William Douglas, master; arrived July 20, 1789, departed Aug. 20, 1789
Columbia – Boston registry, ship; Robert Gray, master; arrived in August 1789
Mercury – British registry, brig; Capt. John Henry Cox, master; arrived Sept. 23, 1789, departed Sept. 25, 1789; George Mortimer on board

1790
Eleanora – American registry, brig; Simon Metcalf, master; by ordering the Olowalu Massacre, Simon Metcalf provoked the natives to retaliation. This the Hawaiians accomplished by capturing the Fair American and murdering all the crew except Isaac Davis. When John Young, the boatswain, was sent ashore from the Eleanora a few days later, he was held by natives for fear he would tell Metcalf of the fate of the crew of the Fair American. Young and Davis became two of Kamehameha I’s chief advisors.
Fair American – American registry; Thomas Metcalf, master

1791
Princess Royal – Formerly British registry, now under Spanish colors; Manuel Quimper, master; arrived Apr. 1791
Argonaut – British registry, merchant vessel; James Colnett, master; arrived Apr. 1791; credited with bringing first sheep to Kauai
Hope – American registry, brigantine, trader; Joseph Ingraham, master; arrived Oct. 6, 1791, departed Oct. 12, 1791
Lady Washington – American registry, sloop; Capt. John Kendrick, master
Hancock – American registry, brig; Capt. Crowell, master

1792
Discovery – Capt. George Vancouver; accompanied by Chatham; arrived Mar. 2, 1792, departed Mar. 16, 1792
Chatham – Lieut. William Robert Broughton; accompanied Discover; arrived Mar 2, 1792, departed Mar. 16, 1792
Daedalus – British naval store ship; lieut. Hergest; arrived May 7, 1792, departed May 12, 1792
Columbia – Boston registry, ship; Robert Gray, master; arrived Oct 29, 1792, departed Nov. 3, 1792
Halcyon – Charles William Barkley, master; arrived Nov. 8, 1792, departed Nov. 15, 1792
Margaret – American registry, ship; Capt. Magee, master
Jenny – England; Capt. Baker, master

1793
Discovery – Capt. George Vancouver; accompanied by Chatham; arrived Feb. 12, 1793, departed Mar. 30, 1793
Chatham – Lieut. Peter Puget; accompanied Discovery; arrived Feb. 12, 1793
Jefferson – American registry, trader; Capt. Roberts, master; arrived Mar 1793
Butterworth – English registry, trader; William Brown, master

1794
Discovery – Capt. George Vancouver; accompanied by Chatham; arrived Jan. 9, 1794, departed Mar. 14, 1794
Chatham – Lieut. Peter Puget; accompanied Discovery; arrived January 9, 1794, departed Mar. 14, 1794
Britannia – first vessel built in Hawaii; constructed under Vancouver’s supervision in Feb, 1794
Jefferson – American registry; Capt. Roberts, master; arrived Oct 1794
Phoenix – Capt. Moore, master
Jackal – English registry, schooner, trader; William Brown, master
Prince Lee Boo – English registry, Capt. Gordon, master
Lady Washington – American registry; Capt. John Kendrick, master

1795
Union – Boston registry; John Boit, jr., master; arrived Oct. 13, 1795, departed Oct. 16, 1795
Jane – arrived Oct. 13, 1795, departed Nov. 12, 1795
Ruby – Charles Bishop, master
Mercury – Capt. Barnett, master

1796
Providence – Capt. William Robert Broughton; arrived Jan. 1, 1796, departed Feb. 20, 1796
Arthur – Henry Barber, master
Otter – Boston registry; Ebenezer Dorr, master; sighted Hawaii Dec. 2, 1796, left Kauai Jan. 1, 1797

1798
Neptune – American registry; Daniel Greene, master; arrived Aug. 12, 1798, departed Aug. 31, 1798

1799
Caroline or Dragon – American registry, Richard J. Cleveland, master; arrived July 19, 1799, departed July 21, 1799

1800
Betsy – British registry; arrived Oct. 21, 1800, departed Oct. 28, 1800

1801
Perseverance – American registry; Masa Delano, master; arrived December 10, 1801, departed December 20, 1801

1802
Atahualpa – Boston registry; Capt. Wildes, master; arrived Aug. 5, 1802, departed Nov. 4, 1802
Margaret – British registry; Johy Buyers, master; arrived Dec 17, 1802, departed Jan. 21, 1803
Ann – American registry; arrived Dec. 25, 1802, departed Dec. 28, 1802

1803
Lelia Byrd – American registry; William Shaler, master; arrived June 21, 1803, departed July 7, 1803; brought first horse to Hawaii

1804
Nadeshda -Russian; Capt. Lieut. Adam John von Krusenstern in command; arrived June 7, 1804, departed June 10, 1804
Neva – Russian; Capt. Lieut. Urey Lisiansky in command under von Krusenstern; arrived Jun 8, 1804, departed Jun 20, 1804

1805
Lelia Byrd – American registry; William Shaler, master; arrived Aug. 22, 1805
Tamana – John Hudson, master; built in Hawaii 1805
Atahualpa – Boston; Capt. Adams, master; arrived Aug. 1805, departed Oct. 6, 1805
Yarmouth – arrived Dec. 8, 1805; Samuel Patterson; departed Dec. 22, 1805

1806
Hamilton – Boston; Capt. Porter
Perseverance – American; Amasa Delano, master; arrived Sept. 8, departed Sept. 30.
Port au Prince – London; Mr Brown, master; arrived Sept. 29, 1806, departed Oct. 26, 1806
Pearl – Boston; Capt. Ebetts, master
O’Cain – Boston; Jonathan Winship, master
Tamana – John Hudson, master

1807
Maryland – New York; Jonathan Perry, jr., master; arrived May 19, 1807, departed July 19, 1807

1809
Neva – Russian; Capt. Hargemeister; arrived Jan. 27, 1809
Dromo – American; arrived Feb. 24, 1809, departed Mar. 15, 1809

1810
Duke of Portland – Capt. Spence, master; arrived Feb., departed Mar. 4
Albatross – American

1811
Tonquin – American; Capt. Jonathan Thorn, master; arrived Feb. 13, 1811, departed Feb. 28

1812
Beaver – American; Capt. Cornelius Sowles, master; arrived Mar 26, 1812, departed Apr. 6, 1812

1813
Lark – American; Capt. Northcop, master

1814
Sir Andrew Hammond – U.S. ship of war; commanded by Lieut. John Gamble of Marine Corps; arrived May 23, 1814, departed June 11, 1814
Cherub – British ship of war; Capt. Tucker; arrived Jun 22, departed July 15
Atahualpa – Boston; sold to Russians, renamed to Bering; wrecked off Kauai during attempted occupation by Russians
Isabella, Othrytie, Kodiak, Ilmen and Bering – Russian vessels

1815
Columbia – British; Anthony Robson, master; arrived Jan 16, 1815, departed Jan 18, 1815
Millwood – New York; Samuel G. Bailey, master; arrived Dec. 7, departed Feb. 16
Columbia – British; Capt. Jennings; arrived Dec. 10, departed Jan 4, 1816

1816
Rurick – Russian; Lieut. Otto von Kotzenbue; arrived Nov 21, departed Dec 14

1817
Columbia – British; Capt. Jennings; arrived January 27, departed Apr. 16
Bordeaux Packet – American; Andrew Blanchard, master; arrived Aug 12; sold to Kalaimoku in Dec.
Rurick – Russian; Lieut. Otto von Kotzebue; arrived Sept 27, departed Oct. 14, 1817
Columbia – British; Capt. Jennings, master; arrived December 6; sold to Kamehameha I, May 2, 1818.

1818
Santa Rosa – A pirate ship under Capt. Turner; arrived May, departed Oct. 20
Osprey – arrived Aug 28, 1818, departed Sept. 20, 1818
Argentina – belonged to independents of South America; Capt. Hippolyte Bouchard; arrived Sept, departed Oct. 20
Kamschatka – Russian; Capt. Golovnin; arrived Oct. 20, 1818

(All information is from Voyages to Hawaii Before 1860, HMCS, 1929.)

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August 25, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Butterworth Squadron

In 1791, there was active debate for opening the trade opportunities to Pacific Ocean trade held by the South Sea Company and the East India Company, particularly considering the recent Nootka Convention with Spain which opened the Pacific Northwest Coast to British traders.

The Butterworth Squadron was a British commercial fleet of three vessels, the Butterworth, the Jackal and the Prince Lee Boo, that sailed for the Pacific Ocean from London via Cape Horn in late-1791.

The Butterworth was a whaling ship with a typical crew of forty-eight men. She is said to have originally been a French frigate of 30 guns, captured by the British.

Her master was Captain William Brown, “an able and expert seaman, regularly brought up in the whale fishery.” Before entering the Pacific, Brown and his ship Butterworth were Greenland whalers.

The Jackal (sometimes spelled “Jackall” or “Jack Hall”) was a small sloop that served as a tender to Butterworth. She “showed a tier of ports fore and aft. The greatest part of them were false or only painted, yet they made such a good appearance that for some time we concluded she was a King’s cutter or a tender to some man-of-war”.

The Prince Lee Boo was a small sloop; by several accounts somewhat lesser than the Jackal. The vessel was named for Prince Lee Boo, a young Palau Islander who traveled to London in 1784.

Prince Lee Boo and Jackal together are said to have carried a total of 9 boat guns ranging in size from 2 pounds to 6 pounds.

Prince Lee Boo was often used to take soundings ahead of the larger ship. She was loaned to Captain George Vancouver for this purpose in Queen Charlotte Sound in 1793.

The principals financing the expedition were Alderman William Curtis, London ship-owner Theophilus Pritzler and probably John Perry, a Blackwall shipbuilder.

The leader of the expedition was Captain William Brown. Sigismund Bacstrom, a naturalist who had previously sailed as a secretary to Sir Joseph Banks, was the surgeon for the expedition.

The Butterworth squadron first wintered at the Hawaiian Islands in February 1793, when control of the Islands was divided between Kamehameha who controlled Hawai’i and much of Maui, and Kahekili who controlled the islands west of Maui including Oahu and Kauai.

Brown traded in weapons with both Kamehameha and Kahekili, but strongly favored the latter. In particular, he entered into a contract with Kahekili giving Brown the title to the island of O‘ahu together with four islands to windward in return for weapons and military assistance suppressing a revolt on Kauai.

It was during this time that the Butterworth squadron became the first European vessels to enter the inner Honolulu Harbor.

At the death of Kahekili in 1793, Kaʻeo became ruling chief of Maui, Molokai and Lānaʻi. Kalanikūpule was ruler of Oʻahu. Homesick for his friends, Kaʻeo set out to return to Kauai by way of Waialua and then to Waimea; he learned of a conspiracy to kill him. (Kamakau)

Then, Kaʻeo invaded O‘ahu. This war became known as Kuki‘iahu and was fought from November 16 until December 12, 1794.

The Jackal and Prince Lee Boo returned to Oahu on November 21, 1794 to find a very different situation from the one they had left.

When Jackal and Prince Lee Boo arrived at Honolulu, Kalanikūpule requested their assistance in the battle. Eight men under the command of George Lamport, mate of the Jackal, joined Kalanikūpule’s forces in a series battles ashore while Captain Brown and the remaining crew defended the shoreline from the Jackal and Prince Lee Boo.

As war was waging, on December 3, 1794, Captain John Kendrick arrived in Fair Haven (Honolulu) aboard the Lady Washington.

While Kaʻeo was successful after some initial skirmishes. A great battle was fought in the area between Kalauao and ‘Aiea in ‘Ewa. Kalanikūpule’s forces surrounded Kaʻeo. (Cultural Surveys) The ship’s men successfully aided in the defense and Kaʻeo was defeated.

To celebrate the victory, on December 12, 1794, Kendrick’s brig fired a thirteen-gun salute in celebration the British ship of Captain Brown.

The tradition of rendering a salute by cannon originated in the 14th century as firearms and cannons came into use. Since these early devices contained only one projectile, discharging them rendered them harmless.

Initially, the tradition began as a custom among ships, whose captains had volleys fired upon entering a friendly port to release its arsenal, which demonstrated their peaceful intentions (by placing their weapons in a position that rendered them ineffective.)

Following Kendrick’s salute, Brown answered with a round of fire. Unfortunately, through an oversight, one of the saluting guns on the Jackal was loaded with round and grape shot, and this shot passed through the side of the Lady Washington, killing Captain Kendrick and several of his crew. (Kuykendall)

Soon after, a dispute arose between Capt. Brown and Kalanikūpule, however the exact nature of it is not clear. It may have related to Brown’s claims to O‘ahu, but it has been suggested that Kalanikūpule may have requested that Brown and his men assist Kalanikūpule in an attack against Kamehameha on Hawai’i, and Brown may have refused.

Kalanikūpule then decided to kill Captain Brown and capture the Jackal and Prince Lee Boo. At his chief’s advice, he agreed to pay the 400 hogs. On January 1, 1795, the hogs were herded down to the beach to be slaughtered and salted down in barrels.

“When the greatest part of the crew of the Jackall being on shore salting pork and the remainder part away with their boat collecting salt, except and one man, and part of the crew of the Prince Le Boo likewise on shore on duty …”

“… that the natives of the said island about ten am on the 1st of January attacked the said vessel with several canoes, killed the commander William Brown and Robert Gordon and wounded several others and got possession of the vessel.” (Bloxam; Payne)

Kalanikūpule and his chiefs then determined to attack Kamehameha’s forces on Hawai’i. On January 3, the captured crew was put to work preparing the vessels for sea, and on January 11 they were ready to sail for Hawai’i.

Kalanikūpule ordered all the arms and ammunition to be loaded into the two captured vessels, along with all the captured crew, although he was advised by his chiefs to divide them among the canoes.

On “the 12th of January … about three pm the chiefs ordered the vessels out of the harbor to go to the bay of Waikiki where about 4 pm, (some of the Jackal and Prince Lee Boo crew) brought up and lay till ten pm, and having all the people on board we both attacked the natives, wounded and drove them overboard and got possession of both vessels”. (Bloxam; Payne)

They released Kalanikūpule, his wife and one attendant in a canoe as they passed Diamond Head, then headed to Hawai‘i where they informed John Young and Kamehameha of Kalanikūpule’s invasion plans.

The Jackal and Prince Lee Boo sailed to China where the vessels were sold. Butterworth successfully returned to England at around 1794. (Lots of information here is from Payne)

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Dessin_du_Machault_(1791)-Frigate comparable to Butterworth

Sloop_-Jackal-_c.1792

Prince_Lee_Boo-_c.1792

July 27, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kou and Kuloloia

Early on, Waikiki was the Royal Center; Royal Centers were where the aliʻi resided. Aliʻi often moved between several residences throughout the year. The Royal Centers were selected for their abundance of resources and recreation opportunities, with good surfing and canoe-landing sites being favored.

Waikiki had better surfing, greater proximity to the ocean for deep sea fishing, inland pools suitable for fishponds, a smooth, sandy plain for houses, and many channels through the reef leading to sandy shores, so convenient for beaching canoes.

At Honolulu, for canoe landings, Honolulu Harbor was limited; according Levi Chamberlain in the first half of the nineteenth century, the area in what is now Pier 12 “was the only place where the natives could bring in their canoes.” (Stokes)

But the Western sailing ships that started calling at Hawai‘i had too deep of drafts to maneuver into Waikiki. In 1794, Honolulu Harbor, also known as Kuloloia, was entered by the first foreigner, Captain William Brown of the British schooner Jackal, accompanied by Captain Gordon in the sloop tender Prince Lee Boo.

They called the harbor “Fair Haven” which may be a rough translation of the Hawaiian name Honolulu (it was also sometimes called Brown’s Harbor.)

In 1809, Kamehameha I, who had been living at Waikiki, moved his Royal Residence to Pākākā at Honolulu Harbor. (Today, the site is generally at the open space now called Walker Park at the corner of Queen and Fort streets (ʻEwa side of the former Amfac Center, now the Topa Financial Plaza, near the fountain.))

A large yam field (what is now much of the core of downtown Honolulu – what is now bounded by King, Nuʻuanu, Beretania and Alakea Streets) was planted to provide visiting ships with an easily-stored food supply for their voyages (supplying ships with food and water was a growing part of the Islands’ economy.)

John Whitman noted in his journal (1813-1815,) “… Honoruru is the most fertile district on the Island. It extends about two miles from the Harbour where it is divided into two valleys by a ridge of high land. The district is highly cultivated and abounds in all the productions of these Islands.”

“The village consists of a number of huts of different sizes scattered along the front of the Harbour without regularity and the natives have lost much of the generous hospitality and simplicity that characterize those situated more remotely from this busy scene.”

Whitman goes on to note, “… everything necessary for the subsistence and comfort of man is found in the (Nuʻuanu) valley, watered by a rivulet it produces the best taro in great abundance, the ridge dividing the taro patches are covered with sugar cane.”

“The high ground yields sweet potatoes and yams and all the other productions of the Island are found in the various situations and soils adapted to their nature.”

“One of the finest ‘Ulu-maika’ places on the islands was the one belonging to Kou (what is now downtown Honolulu.) This was a hard, smooth track about twelve feet wide extending from the corner on Merchant and Fort Streets … along the sea ward side of Merchant Street to the place beyond Nuʻuanu Avenue … Kamehameha I is recorded as having used this maika track.” (Westervelt)

In 1815, Kamehameha I granted Russian representatives permission to build a storehouse near Honolulu Harbor. But, instead, directed by the German adventurer Georg Schaffer (1779-1836,) they began building a fort and raised the Russian flag.

When Kamehameha discovered the Russians were building a fort he sent several chiefs (including Kalanimōku and John Young (his advisor,)) to remove the Russians from Oʻahu by force, if necessary.

The partially built blockhouse at Honolulu was finished by Hawaiians under the direction of John Young, and mounted guns protected the fort. Its original purpose was to protect Honolulu by keeping enemy or otherwise undesirable ships out. But, it was also used to keep things in (it also served as a prison.)

By 1830, the fort had 40 guns of various calibers (6, 8, 12 and probably a few 32 pounders) mounted on the parapets. Fort Kekuanohu literally means ‘the back of the scorpion fish,’ as in ‘thorny back,’ because of the rising guns on the walls. In 1838 there were 52 guns reported.

Fort Street is named after this fort; it is one of the oldest streets in Honolulu. Today, the site of the old fort is the open space called Walker Park, a small park at the corner of Queen and Fort streets (also fronting Ala Moana/Nimitz.)

Tradewinds blow from the Northeast; the channel into Honolulu Harbor has a northeasterly alignment. Early ships calling to Honolulu were powered only by sails. The entrance to the harbor was narrow and lined on either side with reefs. Ships don’t sail into the wind. Given all of this, Honolulu Harbor was difficult to enter.

In the late-18th and early 19th centuries most vessels sailing through the North Pacific stopped for supplies at the Hawaiian Islands. Boats either anchored off-shore, or they were pulled, towed or tracked into the harbor (this was done with canoes; or, it meant men and/or oxen pulled them in.)

The harbor’s narrow entrance and channel were always a problem for vessels entering. The small inter-island schooners could negotiate it without help, but the larger foreign vessels were towed in – first by their own boats and later by double-canoes.

This might take eight double canoes with 16-20 men each, working in the pre-dawn calm when winds and currents were slow. Otherwise you had to contend with tradewinds blowing out of the harbor.

In 1816, Richards Street alignment was the straight path and served as the inland tow-path for Governor Kekūanāo‘a’s ox-team as it drew the larger vessels up the narrow channel into the harbor.

The ox team waited on the eastern point of the harbor entrance until connected by a towline with the vessel anchored in the deep water outside. The towline necessarily was very long because the shoal water extended outward for quite a distance.

When all was ready, the team walked along the channel reef but, as such towing must be in straight line, on reaching the beach the cattle could only proceed straight inland until the long towline had drawn the vessel right into the basin. (Clark)

A few years after, in 1825, the first pier in the harbor was improvised by sinking a ship’s hull near the present Pier 12 site. As Honolulu developed and grew, lots of changes happened, including along its waterfront. What is now known as Queen Street used to be the water’s edge.

The first efforts to deepen Honolulu Harbor were made in the 1840s. The idea to use the dredged material, composed of sand and crushed coral, to fill in low-lying lands was quickly adopted.

In 1845, Commander Charles Wilkes criticized the city of Honolulu by saying: “The streets, if so they may be called, have no regularity as to width, and are ankle‐deep in light dust and sand … and in some places, offensive sink‐holes strike the senses, in which are seen wallowing some old and corpulent hogs.”

“The boundaries of the old town may be said to have been, on the makai side, the waters of the harbor; on the mauka side, Beretania street; on the Waikiki side, the barren and dusty plain, and on the Ewa side, the Nuʻuanu stream. There were few, if any, residences other than the straw houses of the natives mauka of Beretania street.”

It wasn’t until 1850 that streets received official names. On August 30, 1850, the Privy Council first officially named Honolulu’s streets; there were 35‐streets that received official names that day (29 were in Downtown Honolulu, the others nearby.)

At the time, the water’s edge was in the vicinity of what we now call Queen Street. Back in those days, that road was generally called ‘Makai,’ ‘Water’ or Ali‘i Wahine.’ (Gilman)

‘Broadway’ was the main street (we now call it King Street;) it was the widest and longest ‐ about 2‐3 miles long from the river (Nuʻuanu River on the west) out to the “plains” (toward Mānoa.) (It was also referred to as ‘Ali‘i and ‘Chapel,’ ‘Halepule,’ ‘Church’ (due to Kawaiahaʻo fronting it.)

To date, 17 of those original names have survived the passage of time: Queen, Richards, School, Smith, Victoria, Young, Mauna Kea, Merchant, Mission, Nuʻuanu, Punchbowl, Beretania, Fort, Hotel, Kīnaʻu, King and Marin. (Gilman)

Some of the earlier-named streets that are no longer in use include, Garden, Crooked Lane, Printers Lane, French Place, Palace, Stone House, Eden House and Kaʻahumanu.

In 1854 the first steam tug was used to pull sail-powered ships into dock against the prevailing tradewinds. Captain Jacob Brown was captain of the towing tug “Pele.” The “Pele” was the first steam tug used in Hawaiʻi (screw tug with thirty-horse power.)

in 1857, the fort was dismantled; its massive 12-foot walls were torn apart and used to fill the harbor to accommodate an expanding downtown.

To replace the prison that was once in the fort, in 1856-57 a new prison was built at Iwilei. (It was where the Salvation Army building is on Nimitz – it’s the old Love’s Bakery building.) The new custom-house was completed in 1860. The water-works were much enlarged, and a system of pipes laid down in 1861.

Between 1857 and 1870, the coral block walls of the dismantled Fort edged and filled about 22-acres of reef and tideland, forming the “Esplanade” or “Ainahou,” between Fort and Merchant Streets (where Aloha Tower is now located.) At that time, the harbor was dredged to a depth from 20 to 25-feet took place.

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Honolulu Harbor-Ships pulled by canoes-Henry Walker-1843

Port_of_Honolulu-1816-1817

‘Port_of_Honolulu’_by_Louis_Choris-1816

Battle_of_Honolulu-Dolphin-(Massey)-1826

‘Honolulu_Beach’-would_later_become_the_area_from_Pier_5_to_Fort_Armstrong-Burgess-(SagaOfTheSandwichIslands)-mid-1850s

Honolulu_Harbor_(taken_from_prison_in_Iwilei)

Honolulu_Map-(1810)-over_GoogleEarth

Honolulu_Map-(1847)-over_GoogleEarth

July 16, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

When Was Hawai‘i Settled?

Various European explorers, traders, missionaries, and others – from Captain James Cook onwards – speculated about where the ancestors of the Hawaiians and other Polynesians came from, and about when they had made their migrations into and across the Pacific.

But the first to systematically compile a large body of empirical data relevant to these questions, and to lay out a formal argument and theory, was Abraham Fornander, primarily in his classic An Account of the Polynesian Race (1878–1885), but also in a posthumously published summary.

Fornander was not an archaeologist; he did not draw upon the material record of ancient sites or artifacts. Fornander, who became fluent in Hawaiian, regarded the Hawaiian traditions as historical accounts of real individuals.

He also realized that these accounts could be placed into a relative chronology using the genealogies of the chiefly lines which he also collected and analyzed. Fornander estimated Hawaiian settlement at around AD 450. Later, Emory, analyzing linguistics, proposed a date of around AD 1150.

Professional anthropology incorporating archaeology took hold in Polynesia in the early 20th century. Early on, archaeology lacked any direct methods for dating Polynesian sites or artifacts, and was largely relegated to the mapping of surface architecture. Oral traditions, along with detailed ethnographic comparisons, were the main sources for historical reconstruction.

Evidence for human settlement of an island or archipelago can come from two different sources: (1) direct artifactual evidence from human settlements such as sand dune occupations or rockshelters; and …

(2) indirect evidence in the form of proxy signals of anthropogenic disturbance, such as increases in charcoal fluxes in lake or swamp sediments, rapid changes in pollen frequencies in these sediments, or the appearance plants and animals that live near or benefit from association with humans (such as weeds, insects or rats.)

The invention of radiocarbon dating helped to spark a boom in Polynesian and Pacific archaeology. In the 1940s, Professor Willard F Libby and his associates developed radiocarbon dating – a method to measure the age of organic materials.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1960 was awarded to Libby “for his method to use carbon-14 for age determination in archaeology, geology, geophysics, and other branches of science”.

For radiocarbon dating to be possible, the material must once have been part of a living organism. This means that things like stone, metal and pottery cannot usually be directly dated by this means unless there is some organic material embedded or left as a residue.

Radiocarbon dating depended upon the discovery cosmic rays, which constantly bombard Earth and turn some carbon atoms in living tissue into radioactive isotope carbon-14. (University of Chicago)

The radiocarbon date tells us when the organism was alive (not when the material was used.) The dating process is always designed to try to extract the carbon from a sample which is most representative of the original organism.

The radiocarbon formed in the upper atmosphere is mostly in the form of carbon dioxide. This is taken up by plants through photosynthesis. Plant eating animals (herbivores and omnivores) get their carbon by eating plants. All animals in the food chain, including carnivores, get their carbon indirectly from plant material, even if it is by eating animals which themselves eat plants.

Once an organism dies the carbon is no longer replaced. Because the radiocarbon is radioactive, it will slowly decay away. There will usually be a loss of stable carbon too but the proportion of radiocarbon to stable carbon will reduce. (University of Chicago and University of Oxford)

Over the following decades, radiocarbon dating technology and techniques improved. While significant improvements were made, but the greatest advance came in 1977 with Richard A Muller’s use of accelerator mass spectrometry (atoms are converted into a beam of fast moving ions. The mass of these ions is then measured by the application of magnetic and electric fields.)

Equally important to the refinements in laboratory methods was the realization by archaeologists that they needed to pay close attention to the kinds of samples they submitted for dating.

This was especially the case for wood charcoal, perhaps the most commonly dated material from Polynesian sites. In the early years of radiocarbon dating, when the crude laboratory methods required large sample sizes, there was a tendency to select the largest pieces of charcoal.

The entire contents of hearths or earth ovens (often including tens or even hundreds of individual charcoal fragments) were often submitted in bulk to the dating laboratory.

The problem was that such samples in many cases included old growth timber, which had an ‘in built’ age that was potentially much older than the time at which the wood was actually burnt in the hearth or oven.

The date returned by the radiocarbon lab may have been an accurate indication of the age of the timber, but not of the ‘target date’ of human use of the site.

The most important step in developing new protocols for radiocarbon sample selection was the taxonomic identification of wood charcoal based on anatomical characteristics by comparison to a reference collection of known woody plant species for the particular region or island.

So, what does the updated technology and techniques show as the time of Hawaiian settlement in the Islands?

Dating of a number of key Eastern Polynesian sites, using AMS radiocarbon methods on better controlled (identified) samples has lent considerable support that the central archipelagoes of Eastern Polynesia did not begin to be settled until after AD 800 or later.

The ‘proxy’ paleo-environmental evidence for human presence in Hawai‘i, which for now comes almost exclusively from O‘ahu and Kauai Islands, leaves no doubt that human activities were creating significant disturbances on both of these islands by AD 1200. This then sets an upper bound on Polynesian settlement. The earliest dates on human introduced rat bones on O‘ahu are consistent with Polynesian arrival around AD 1000.

Re-dating of the site at Bellows, Waimānalo, O‘ahu puts the occupation of that small area at between AD 1040–1219. Obviously, this range falls closely between the lower and upper bounds indicated by the Eastern Polynesian chronologies and the paleo-environmental evidence.

Based on what we know now, it is suggested here that initial Polynesian discovery and settlement of the Hawaiian Islands occurred between approximately AD 1000 and 1200. (The bulk of the information here is from Kirch.)

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July 13, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Sailor’s Home and Seamen’s Institute

“Resolved, That the Petition for a lot of land for a Sailor’s Home be granted, provided it shall be a rule established in such home, and strictly enforced …”

“… That no intoxicating liquors shall be drunk on the promises; no women of lewd character admitted; no gambling allowed, nor any other disorder tolerated.” (By order of Privy Council, this 20th day of November, 1854.)

“One old sailor mentioned that he had been at sea for forty-two years and that this is the best sailor’s home he has ever known … we have now a Home and Institute that is much better fitted for our work, and is said by sailors to be the most homelike place of its kind that they have been in ’round the world.”

“Sailors from twenty nationalities were received from every class of vessel visiting the port: liners, army transports, America; and foreign cargo vessels, timber ships etc., and from these many interesting and encouraging details of successful work accomplished by Seamen’s Institutes in different parts of the world have been received …”

“… showing that the great chain of Seamen’s Missions of different Societies, by co-operation with one another, are having a steady and firm spiritual and moral influence upon the lives of those who go down to the sea in ships. (Superintendent’s Annual Report, 1921)

It opened September 11, 1856, “That little affair at the Sailor’s Home came off on Thursday, and if the house is ever again so full of merry laughter and innocent enthusiasts, it may congratulate itself upon being the scene of a second triumph.”

“We have not yet heard what the receipts were. If ever an institution was introduced to public notice under happy patronage it is the Sailor’s Home. Long may it flourish. (Polynesian, September 13, 1856)

The nearby Seamen’s Bethel Chapel was built by the American Seamen’s Friend Society of New York, in 1833, the materials having been shipped from New London, Ct, for Honolulu via Cape Horn. It was the first edifice for the public worship of English-speaking people, erected in Polynesia. It was open to both seamen and foreign residents. (Damon Memorial)

The Honolulu Sailor’s Home provided mariners with room and board at a reasonable price. In this building were the offices of “Hawaiian Board and Bible Society;” office of the Friend; the “Bible and Tract Depository,” and YMCA Reading Room. (Damon Memorial)

“One of the most important effects of such a well conducted boarding house for seamen was the speedy improvement of other lodgings in town for sailors, which ceased to be the disreputable dens which they had been.”

“The institution was fairly prosperous financially, under the administrations of a succession of stewards. The building was a three story one, of wood.”

“It came near being destroyed by the fire of 1886, and indeed was seriously damaged by explosives in an effort to destroy it, so that it remained unused until pulled down. It is of interest to know that its materials were used in constructing the house above Punchbowl street, now occupied by the Portuguese Mission.”

“In exchange for the land the Government gave some money and a spacious lot on the made ground between Richards and Alakea streets, just above the new Fish Market. On this lot, surrounded by a beautiful lawn, stands the new Sailors’ Home, finished a year ago, but only of late fairly in use for seamen.”

“In the front part of the lower story is a Library and Reading Room, also a Billiard room. In the rear of the west side are three living rooms for the Superintendent and his family. On the east side is dining room accommodating forty at table, and in its rear the pantry and kitchen with every facility to cook for a hundred men.”

“As just the person for this department has not yet been secured, seamen stopping at the Home for the present receive meal tickets on some good restaurant.”

“In the main seamen’s ward up-stairs are sixteen excellent iron beds with spring mattresses. A number of so-called ‘mate’s rooms’ also furnish private lodgings at low rates. Opening on the upper front veranda are a few more stylishly furnished apartments for captains and their friends.”

“This upper floor is supplied with every convenience, bath rooms, etc. All the rooms have incandescent lights. Grading of the adjacent streets will soon be completed, and that part of the town will become an attractive one.” (The Friend, April 1895)

It soon took on a partner, “When Bishop Nichols came here in April, 1902, to receive the transfer of the Anglican Church in Hawaii to the American Episcopal Church he consulted T. Clive Davies and others about starting a branch of the Seamen’s Church Institute in Honolulu.”

“The Sailors’ Home was lodging sailors and Captain Bray was managing it but it was not doing the work for seamen which the Seamen’s Institute does in its branches all over the world where British ships call.”

“Committees from each organization met and an agreement was reached to the effect that the Sailors’ Home would lease their land and building to the Seamen’s Institute for a nominal sum and that the Institute should carry on its work and that of the Home. This agreement was made in 1907.”

“Those who are not familiar with the many-sided work of the Seamen’s Institute have little idea of what is done in the building, and outside on ships … The sailor on shore, the world over, knows that he will find friends and brotherly treatment at a Seamen’s Institute.” (The Friend, June 1, 1933)

A summary in the Seaman’s Handbook for Shore Leave, 1920, gives a sense of the cost: “Seamen’s Homes. Sailors’ Home and Seamen’s Institute, Alakea St. Accommodations for about 25 officers and men. …”

“Rates per night, 25c and 50c; per week, $1.00 to $2.50, not including subsistence. Check-room, reading-room, writing-room, library, pool tables and indoor games; concerts and entertainments every week.” (Seaman’s Handbook for Shore Leave, 1920)

The Honolulu Sailor’s Home remains on Alakea (now a ground floor space in a Honolulu high-rise at 707 Alakea, near Nimitz) as a non-profit lodge for merchant seamen (rates start at $25 per night for a single room.) Their website notes they are accepting retired seamen to lodge for a duration of up to 3 months at any one time (with certain limitations).

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