Kaneohe | Page 4 | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

December 5, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Seth Parker

In 1933, radio broadcaster Phillips Lord purchased the schooner ‘Georgette,’ which he renamed as ‘Seth Parker’ after the character he played on his popular radio show, ‘Sunday Evening at Seth Parker’s.’ (The character ‘Seth Parker’ was a clergyman and backwoods philosopher based on his real-life grandfather.)

Lord first broadcast the program from his hometown of Jonesport, Maine, and then aboard the four-masted Seth Parker. With on-location reports from Lord each week, the program was billed as ‘The Cruise of the Seth Parker.’

Phillips Lord conceived an idea to sail his new ship to various exotic ports, with a team of celebrities, to broadcast his radio programs. The Seth Parker sailed from Portland Maine on December 5, (Woram) calling at various ports on the East Coast to broadcast the show. (Offshore Radio Guide)

The ship passed through the Panama Canal and sailed to the South Pacific. “For a while the plan worked. Then, mid-way between Samoa and Tahiti, the Seth Parker on Feb 8, 1935, ran into a storm. She radioed for help describing ‘mountainous’ waves breaking over the decks.”

“Next came a report from the schooner that the storm had subsided and ‘all’s well.’ (However,) On Feb 10 the Seth Parker was again in trouble, again calling for help.”

“The ‘Australia,’ 300 miles away by that time, returned to repeat her ‘rescue’ act. This time she took off the schooner’s nine crew members. Lord and four others remained aboard, and the vessel was towed by navy tug to Pago Pago.” (Advertiser, June 12, 1936)

The damage to the ship during the typhoons was so great that the radio crew ended any thoughts of further broadcasts aboard the wounded ship. (Offshore Radio Guide)

“About that time Hawaiian Tuna Packers, Ltd, decided to buy her as a bait boat and sent representatives to Samoa to inspect her. Upon hearing from scouts that the big schooner was in ‘good shape’ the company completed the purchase”. (Advertiser, June 12, 1936)

In April 1935, Hawaiian Tuna Packers took an option on the schooner. Chris Holmes had tanks fitted in the ship, with the idea of filling them with sardines to use as bait for tuna.

The ship was sold to Chris Holmes’ company for $10,000, a tenth of what it cost Phillips Lord to buy and outfit the Seth Parker for his exotic radio junkets. The vessel sailed for Honolulu on July 3. (Offshore Radio Guide)

“En route, the Seth Parker began to leak badly. Her new skipper radioed for help, and the coast guard cutter Tiger was dispatched to her assistance. The trip from Pago Pago to Honolulu took the schooner 64 days.”

“Reconciled to its bad bargain, Tuna Packers abandoned hope of putting the schooner to any use. It was then that Christian R Holmes, company president, decided to take the ship to Coconut Island.”

“And there she has been … bedded in concrete almost up to her waterline. At a glance, however, the ship seemed to be moored in a specially-constructed berth and ready at any time to take off again to the open seas.”

“For a long while she was immaculately groomed. Her hull was kept spotless white, her decks polished, her four masts ready for sails, but it was just a front.”

“Her whole interior was fitted with a bar, a theater and other entertainment, features for amusement of Mr Holmes’ guests on his fabulous island retreat.” (Advertiser, June 12, 1936)

Holmes bought the island from Bishop Estate to use as a tuna-packing factory. As he wasn’t satisfied with the size of the island, he decided to enlarge it to 28 acres, more than double its original size, using material taken from a sandbar in Kaneohe Bay.

Holmes had a vision of creating a private paradise, so while working on increasing the size of the island he also enhanced it by building a saltwater swimming pool and fishponds (which later became useful for HIMB) and adding numerous exotic plants and trees.

He also built a bowling alley, brought a shooting gallery from an amusement park in San Francisco, and built bars at several spots on the island. The boat was used in the movie ‘Wake of the Red Witch,’ starring John Wayne. (Parkvall)

The stately silhouette of the Seth Parker remained intact until Holmes’ death in 1944. The masts were removed around 1945. Some attempt was made to maintain the hull during the next few years, but the ship slowly rotted away.

A fire in the 1960s accelerated the ship’s demise. As the paint on the hull wore off, the original name Georgette and home port of San Francisco became visible. (Offshore Radio Guide)

“If you’ve ever seen a bleached and crumbling skeleton of some large animal on the sands of a mainland desert, you’ll have an idea what the Seth Parker looks like today.”

“Her masts are gone, her bow sprit has long since rotted away, her hull is drab and peeling, part of her deck rail has disintegrated and hunks have rotted out of her decks. Even the bar and theater and baubles that gave her her final claim to glory have been stripped away.” (Advertiser, June 12, 1936)

Today all that is left is a mound of green vegetation where the Seth Parker once was berthed. For many years the wheel of the ship was on display in the main house on Coconut Island, but the wheel was later donated to the Hawai‘i Maritime Center at Honolulu Harbor. (Offshore Radio Guide)

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Seth Parker – Moku O Loe – Coconut Island

Moku_o_Loe-Seth Parker-Silva

Coconut Island-Seth Parker in Background- 1940

Seth Parker-Woram

Seth Parket (lower left) Moku_o_Loe-Life-1937

Coconut Island-1946

Aboard the Seth Parker-Spokane Daily Chronicle-Feb_17,_1934

Coconut Island Club International

Phillips_Lord_as_Seth_Parker_1939

Wake of the Red Witch

September 16, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Battery 405

The windward region of Koʻolaupoko has long been considered the ‘bread basket’ of Oʻahu and highly favored with well-watered agricultural lands and verdant fishing grounds. (Sinoto)

Based on the oral traditions and legendary accounts, the Kaneʻohe Bay region was favored as a rich and productive agricultural, as well as marine resources area during the prehistoric period.

Dry land cultivation of such crops as sweet potato, yams, and breadfruit; wetland cultivation of taro; and aquaculture in the coastal fishponds and in the estuarine areas were practiced along with fishing in the near shore, lagoon and deep ocean zones. (Sinoto)

Mokapu ‘to separate by imposing a taboo’ is derived from the combination of two words, Mo is short for Moku (‘district or island’ and kapu ‘sacred, no trespassing, or keep out.’ If you entered a kapu district, you were killed.

Mokapu was named this because this is where King Kamehameha met with chiefs. The name of the meeting place was named ‘the sacred land of Kamehameha.’ (ksbe)

Mahinui, named for a legendary hero (translates as ‘great champion’ (Pukui) was known as a “regular place of rest for the travelers, called oioina by the ancients”. (Hoku Hawai‘i, 1925; Cultural Surveys)

The US military first established a presence on the Mokapu peninsula in 1918 when President Woodrow Wilson signed an executive order establishing Fort Kuwaʻaohe Military Reservation on 322-acres on the northeast side of Mokapu.

The army was responsible for the seacoast defense of Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, commissioned in 1939 on the Mokapu Peninsula. Permanent seacoast batteries were needed for long-term defense, while temporary defenses were necessary until the permanent defenses could be funded and constructed. (Bennett)

The Army stayed there until August 1940 when the Navy decided to acquire all of Mokapu Peninsula to expand Naval Air Station Kaneʻohe; it included a sea plane base, it began building in September 1939 and commissioned on February 15, 1941.

Between 1939 and 1943, large sections of Kāneʻohe Bay were dredged for the dual purposes of deepening the channel for a sea plane runway and extending the western coastline of the peninsula with 280-acres of coral fill.

On Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, two waves of Japanese Imperial Navy aircraft bombed and strafed Kaneʻohe Naval Air Station, several minutes before Pearl Harbor was attacked.

The bulk of the Harbor Defense facilities were equipped and deployed for a naval attack or amphibious landing; their defenses against an air attack failed to keep up with the magnitude of the aerial assault on December 7, 1941. (Williford)

Following the attack, to defend the military facility at Mokapu, a number of gun batteries were built. On June 14, 1942, authorization was given for installation of coast artillery armament for the defense of the Kaneohe Bay Air Station.

The battery site, and most others built on Oʻahu during World War II, was chosen for its field of fire coverage and ease and economy of construction. Preliminary reconnaissance of potential locations was made by the Corps of Engineers Design Division and the Hawaiian Seacoast Artillery Command. (Bennett)

In 1944, with two 8-inch guns, Battery 405 was built on the northeast lower slope of Puʻu Papaʻa, about 145- feet above sea level. The 542-foot peak is at the north terminus of the Oneawa Hills, on the dividing line between Kailua and Kaneʻohe.

Two tunnels were excavated into the hillside; each tunnel measured about 210-feet long by 10-feet wide, with 12-foot crowns, arched ceilings, and slab sidewalls. The walls and floors were concrete. The tunnels converged somewhat as they penetrated the hillside. (Bennett)

The guns were mounted in the open with no protection from bombardment, besides camouflage. The powder magazines, shell rooms, plotting room and support facilities were tunneled into the hillside.

The 8-inch guns did not have armored shields, leaving them and their crews vulnerable to enemy surface attack and even more to air attack. A metal lath structure resembling a farmhouse rooftop affixed to the carriage traversed with the guns, but only provided minimal camouflage. *Bennett)

Command and control functions were centered in the battery commander’s station above the gun emplacements, about the 300-foot elevation of Puʻu Papaʻa.

A single-story rectangular reinforced-concrete building dug into the ground was equipped with three narrow horizontal observation slots on the front and both side walls, with dropdown outside-hinged steel shutters. (Bennett)

Following the war (August 27, 1946,) Battery 405 was named Battery DeMerritt, after Robert E DeMerritt, a Colonel with the Coast Artillery Corps during World War II (he died in the “Line of Duty” of a non-battle related incident on July 25, 1942.)

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BCN 405-Metal lath camouflage resembled a rooftop-Bennett

8-inch Mark VI M3A2 Gun and M1 Carriage, USA TM 9-442-1

BCN 405-projectile_magazine-Bennett

BCN 405-powder magazines-Bennett

8-inch MkVIM3A2 #2 Gun at BCN-405. USAMH

BCN-405-Plot.-Rm.-USAMH.

BCN 405-tunnel-Bennett

BCN 405-Bennett

Fort Hase from the southwest rim of Ulupau Head. Arrow points to BCN 405-Bennett

BCN 405-map-Bennett

Battery_405_Plan

Battery_405

September 26, 2013 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi

The US military first established a presence on the Mōkapu peninsula in 1918 when President Woodrow Wilson signed an executive order establishing Fort Kuwaʻaohe Military Reservation on 322-acres on the northeast side of Mōkapu.

The Army stayed there until August 1940 when the Navy decided to acquire all of Mōkapu Peninsula to expand Naval Air Station Kāneʻohe; it included a sea plane base, it began building in September 1939 and commissioned on February 15, 1941.

Between 1939 and 1943, large sections of Kāneʻohe Bay were dredged for the dual purposes of deepening the channel for a sea plane runway and extending the western coastline of the peninsula with 280-acres of coral fill.

As of December 1941, two of five planned, steel hangars had been completed, each measuring 225-feet by 400-feet.

On Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, two waves of Japanese Imperial Navy aircraft bombed and strafed Kāneʻohe Naval Air Station, several minutes before Pearl Harbor was attacked.

Of the 36 PBY Catalina “flying boats” based here, 27 of 33 on the ground or moored in Kāneʻohe Bay were destroyed. Only three planes, out on patrol at the time of the attack, escaped and they suffered air-to-air combat damage.

Following repairs, a 5,700-foot land runway was built and 14-inch guns were brought to be set atop the edge of Ulupaʻu Crater in the seven-story deep “Battery Pennsylvania” as part of the coastal defense of Windward Oʻahu.

One of the 14-inch guns was from the USS Arizona; construction of Battery Pennsylvania was completed in August 1945. The huge gun was fired only once, in celebration, a few days before Japan’s formal surrender on V-J Day, September 2, 1945. The firing shook and, some said, “cracked” the crater.

In 1941, this reservation became known as Camp Ulupaʻu; a year later it was redesignated as Fort Hase. It was never as permanent as the Navy’s air station side of the peninsula. Historic photos show tents and wooden structures dominating the landscape, even in August 1945. After the war, Fort Hase was rapidly emptied.

After the armistice was signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945, thousands of military members of all services began to pass through Pearl Harbor and other military installations in Hawaiʻi, including Kāneʻohe Naval Air Station, bound for discharge on the US Mainland and return to civilian life.

On April 1, 1946, all Kāneʻohe NAS residents and workers were evacuated as nearly 25-foot waves from the Alaska tsunami washed over the peninsula, nearly covering the runway and the Fort Hase areas before rapidly receding back to the sea.

In May of 1949, Kāneʻohe Bay NAS was decommissioned and placed in a maintenance status. All property (except buildings) was transferred to NAS Barbers Point.

The Navy put Mōkapu Peninsula land up for lease, but no interested parties came forward. By June 1950, only a small security detail remained.

The following year, in 1951, the Marine Corps decided that Mōkapu Peninsula would make an excellent home for a combined air-ground team, consolidated all landholdings and, in January 1952, commissioned Marine Corps Air Station Kāneʻohe Bay.

In 1953, the base became the home of the 1st Provisional Marine Air-Ground Task Force.

In 1993, the Navy moved its “Orion” and helicopter squadrons to MCAS, Kāneʻohe Bay from NAS, Barber’s Point, which had been selected for closure under the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC)

In April 1994, the Marine Corps consolidated all of its installations in Hawaiʻi, under a single command — Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi (MCBH).

Today, MCB Hawaiʻi continues to serve as a fully functional operational and training base for US Marine Corps forces. The Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) here operates a 7,800-foot runway that can accommodate both fixed wing and rotor-driven aircraft.

Navy and Marine Corps units headquartered at MCB Hawaiʻi Kāneʻohe Bay, include air, ground and combat service support elements; non-operational tenants include a branch health care clinic; a judicial court; a commissary facility; veterinary services; and various Marine Corps schools and academies.

All US military units located in Hawaiʻi, and others within the Pacific theater, fall under the command of the US Pacific Command, which is headquartered – along with US Marine Corps Forces, Pacific – at Camp HM Smith, on Oʻahu.

The Commanding General of MARFORPAC also commands 12 Marine Corps bases and stations in Arizona, California, Hawaiʻi and Japan, and operational forces in Okinawa and Hawaiʻi, afloat on naval shipping and forward-deployed to Southwest Asia. The Commander, MCB Hawaiʻi, is responsible for all Marine Corps installations and facilities in Hawaiʻi.

The image shows Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi. In addition, I have added some other images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook and Google+ pages.

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September 27, 2012 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kāneʻohe Bay Airshow – 2012

The Kāneʻohe Bay Airshow at Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi will take place on September 29-30, 2012 and is free to the public.

Performances in the Air

US Navy Blue Angels

At the end of World War II, the Chief of Naval Operations, Chester W. Nimitz, ordered the formation of a flight demonstration team to keep the public interested in naval Aviation. The Blue Angels performed their first flight demonstration less than a year later in June 1946 at their home base, Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida.

By the end of the 1940s, the Blue Angels were flying their jet aircraft, the Grumman F9F-2 Panther. In response to the demands placed on Naval Aviation in the Korean Conflict, the team reported to the aircraft carrier USS Princeton as the nucleus of Fighter Squadron 191 (VF-191), “Satan’s Kittens,” in 1950. Today the Blue Angels fly the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet.

Fat Albert

Transporting Blue Angels maintenance and support personnel, communication equipment and spare parts is a United States Marine Corps C-130T Hercules nicknamed, “Fat Albert Airlines.” In past Kaneohe Bay Airshows, Fat Albert has demonstrated its jet-assisted takeoff (JATO) capability which enables the plane to takeoff from as little as 1,500 feet of runway, climb at a steep 45-degree angle, and attain an altitude of 1,000 feet within 15 seconds.

Chuck Aaron

“Malibu” Chuck Aaron is the first and only civilian pilot ever to be licensed to perform helicopter aerobatics in the United States. In fact, he’s one of only a handful of pilots permitted to execute the dangerous maneuvers internationally. Chuck is also the first helicopter pilot to be presented with the Art Scholl Showmanship Award, an honor bestowed by the International Council of Air Shows to recognize the world’s most outstanding air show performers, and was inducted in 2011 to the prestigious Society of Experimental Test Pilots.

Kirby Chambliss

Kirby Chambliss is noted as one of the best aerobatic pilots in the world. A five-time winner of the U.S. National Aerobatic Championship and a former Men’s Freestyle World Champion, he’s also fast, world-class fast. Kirby is one of only two American pilots ever to win the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, an international series in which pilots push the envelope by executing aerobatic maneuvers with absolute precision while racing against the clock.

Mike Wiskus

Like many of the show pilots, Mike’s passion for aviation started when he was very young. Mike’s Dad took him to his first air show at their hometown in Iowa at the age of 10. Thirty two years later, Mike has accumulated more than 24,000 flight hours and has qualified in more than 40 aircraft. Mike keeps a very busy schedule flying for Corporate America as well as keeping a full time air show schedule from April through November.

Hank Bruckner

Hank Bruckner was always captivated by aircraft and flying. He became a flight instructor shortly before retiring from the Air Force in 1990, and began instructing, eventually starting his own flight school—Kaimana Aviation—where he currently teaches aerobatics, unusual altitude recoveries, spins and tailwheel transition training.

Clint Churchill

Clint’s flying career began 45 years ago while attending college at the University of Arizona. Upon graduating, Clint joined the Tucson Air National Guard. Two years later he completed USAF pilot training as a Distinguished Graduate. “Sensing the need to keep pulling some Gs,” as Clint puts it, he founded Acroflight, Inc. in 1996 and acquired an Extra 300L which he named Onipa’a (strong, steadfast). Clint has provided aerobatic rides to more than 500 customers and performed 24 air shows at various locations in Hawai’i. He has 4,200 flight hours, including 1,100 hours in the Extra.

Alan Miller

The son of a career Navy man, Alan Miller’s life-long passion for aviation began while growing up aboard Barbers Point Naval Air Station in Hawaiʻi. After two years of anticipation and preparation, Alan and his and crew are pleased to bring his uniquely “local style” two-part performance to Oahu for the very first time during the Kaneohe Bay Airshow in 2012.

Jacquie B

When most people turn 50, they figure it’s time to relax and settle into neutral while coasting toward retirement. Not Jacquie B! When Jacquie turned 50, she launched her solo aerobatic career with her one-of-a-kind Pitts Special biplane. Nearly ten years later, Jacquie B is still in this game, and her list of performance dates is growing. Moreover, Jacquie is a powerful inspiration to her two million fans who realize that they, too, can accomplish great things later in life.

Leap Frogs

The U.S. Navy Parachute Team, “Leap Frogs” will be free falling out of an aircraft 12,500 feet from the ground. When free falling, jumpers reach speeds of 180 miles per hour as their body straightens, similar to luge racers. Be on the lookout for the following formations: downplanes, sideplanes, dragplanes, diamonds, big stacks, tri-by-sides, and T formations.

The Flying Leathernecks

The Flying Leathernecks are a group of skydivers who share the passion for jumping. Their 10,000-ft. jump will be a patriotic exhibit including a large American flag, smoke trailers and starburst effects.

Flash Fire Jet Truck

Check out the action as the fire-breathing Flash Fire Jet Truck hits the runway in competition with planes overhead. Will it be wings or wheels that finish first? This act is sure to be a crowd pleaser for all ages, mixing all the fun and entertaining elements of a family friendly circus with a combination of extreme speed and high intensity, fire breathing excitement!

Action on the ground:

Marine Air-Ground Task Force Demonstration

Military Static Displays – Military vehicles and iarcraft

Taste of Oahu Food Booths

Xtreme Fun Children’s Carnival Rides

At ALL entry points to the air show flight line, ALL bags will be quickly inspected, and all individuals are subject to search prior to entering the air show flight line.

Please note that large bags and/or backpacks, ice chests and coolers will not be permitted. Small bags, such as purses, fanny packs, and diaper bags (8 1/2 x 11) will be permitted. It is recommended that spectators minimize the number and size of permitted items to reduce the inspection time prior to access into the flight line area.

There will be two entrance lines at each gate. One will be for people carrying bags, or other items to be inspected, and one for those with no inspection items.

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May 12, 2012 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Mokuone

When working for the State meant moving from Waimea on the Big Island back to Oʻahu, we ended up on the windward side (where I grew up as a kid.)

We re-joined Kāneʻohe Yacht Club (when I was a kid, the Club was our backyard and ‘go to’ place.)

Wanting to get a boat, we put our name on the waiting lists for ‘wet’ or ‘dry’ slips. After a few years, the call came – our name came up for a slip.

They asked me what kind of boat I had; I asked, ‘What kind can I have?’

It turns out, the slip I was assigned could accommodate a boat up to 28-feet (from tip-to-tip.) I went shopping and found a 27-foot Ericson; more of a cruiser, rather than a racer.

I call it a bathtub in the water; it is definitely not a speed-racer.

Anyway, the boat was called “Ballou Hawaii;” I had to change the name.

However, since the beginning of time, sailors have sworn that there are unlucky boats and the unluckiest boats of all are those who have defied the gods and changed their names.

Fortunately, there are ceremonies that one can use to appease all.

According to legend, each and every vessel is recorded by name in the Ledger of the Deep and is known personally to Poseidon, or Neptune, the god of the sea.

Some people might not know that there is a formal ritual in name-changing a boat; actually, there are several rituals.

If you wish to change the name of your boat, the first thing you must do is to purge its old name from the Ledger of the Deep and from Poseidon’s memory.

It is usual for the renaming ceremony to be conducted immediately following the purging ceremony, although it may be done at any time after the purging ceremony.

I don’t find it coincidental that all naming, purging and renaming ceremonies include ample use of alcohol (fortunately fermented grape juice is an acceptable beverage for these tasks.)

Anyway, rather than smash a perfectly good bottle of wine on the bow, I did incorporate most of rituals’ key parts and splashed a bit of the chardonnay from my glass on the boat and renamed her “Mokuone.”

Mokuone was the name of the family’s first boat when I was a kid. Its literal translation is “Sand Island” and refers to what people now call the Sand Bar. (As a kid, we called it Sand Island; the traditional name is Ahu O Laka.)

I even had a special flag made for the boat – kind of cartoonish, but it works for me (an image of it is attached; it’s the top flag.)

I try to get to the boat every weekend. Sometimes, I would just go down and “fix” stuff; most often, though, I try to go out for a sail.

It’s rigged for easy single-handed sailing (Nelia goes out only occasionally,) so I can raise/lower and control most of the lines and stuff from the cockpit.

I hope the weather and wind are favorable this weekend; I’d like to go for another sail on the Bay.

The image shows Mokuone at her mooring. I raised the boat’s flag, as well as my own nautical flags. Today is the 4th anniversary of getting the boat.