Kaho'olawe


Kaho‘olawe
 

aerial photo

 

Kaho‘olawe (44.6 sq. miles) is uninhabited. Formerly used as a bombing practice range by the U.S. Navy and Air Force, it is now being restored and replanted.

Nickname: The Target Island


In 1920, the U.S. Army and Navy began using Kaho‘olawe for target practice and began routinely bombarding it. In 1939, the Territorial government leased the southern tip of the island to the U.S. Army for use as an artillery range. In 1941 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, martial law was declared and the U.S. Navy took full control of Kaho‘olawe. The inhabitants were ordered off the island and MacPhee removed all his cattle as well. The island was now used for gunnery and bombing training by the Navy, and was routinely subjected to torpedo bombing.


Color: Gray

Flora: Hinahina (Native beach Heliotrope)

Location: 20.6N, 156.6W
Kaho‘olawe, the smallest island of the Hawaiian island chain, is located southwest of Maui. It is separated from Maui by the 6.9 mile wide Alalakeike Channel and from Lanai by the 17.5 mile Kealaikahiki Channel. This dry and uninhabited island covers a surface area of only 45 square miles.

Elevation: 1,475 feet (450 m)
 
Terrain

  • Actually the summit of a single volcanic dome, Kaho‘olawe’s terrain is a gentle slope with a ridge running diagonally across the island.
  • The highest point is the 1477- foot Lua Makika at the northeastern part of the island, which is also the site of the caldera that formed the island.
  • Kaho‘olawe is dry and arid, and receives just around 25 inches of rain annually, occurring mainly on the eastern side of the mountain.

Facts

  • Some of the oldest and largest heiaus (Hawaiian shrines) are located on Kaho‘olawe.
  • This island was also the place where the navigators and kahuna who guided the ocean voyages of early Hawaiians were trained.
  • The island’s lack of a freshwater source, disease, and violent wars among competing chiefs led to a sharp decline in the population, and Kaho‘olawe became almost barren.

Fun Facts about Kaho’olawe

   1. Once used as a target by the U.S. Navy and Air Force the services are cleaning up unexploded shells.
   2. No one is allowed to go ashore without permission.
   3. The island consists of an uninhabited area of 45 square miles.
   4. Kaho‘olawe is about 12 miles (20 km) across and the smallest of the major Hawaiian Islands
   5. In 1981, the island of Kaho‘olawe was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 More links: http://kahoolawe.hawaii.gov/ 

 

 

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