Fort Hase (Mokapu Peninsula, Oahu, Hawaii)
Mokapu Peninsula, Oahu · Hawaii · World War II
History & Significance
The United States Army established the Kuwaaohe Military Reservation on Mokapu Peninsula's eastern portion in 1918, but after World War I the property was leased for ranching. In 1939, the installation was reactivated under multiple names before eventually being designated Fort Hase.
The fort was named for Major General William Frederick Hase, who served as Chief of Staff for the Army's Hawaiian Department from April 1934 to January 1935. During World War II, Fort Hase expanded from a modest defense battalion into a major component of the Windward Coastal Artillery Command.
The fort served as headquarters for the Harbor Defenses of Kāne'ohe Bay, a command created around 1940 to defend the adjacent Naval Air Station Kāne'ohe. In 1945, the fort was expanded with the addition of 474 acres.
After the Pearl Harbor attack and NAS repairs, 14-inch guns salvaged from USS Pennsylvania were installed atop Ulupau Crater in the seven-story deep "Battery Pennsylvania" as coastal defense for Windward Oahu. After the war, the fort was reduced to skeleton levels, and the adjacent Naval Air Station was deactivated in 1949. The Marine Corps assumed control of both Fort Hase and the air station in 1951, and on January 15, 1952, reactivated the facility as Marine Corps Air Station Kāne'ohe Bay.
Key Facts
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Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_Base_Hawaii
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_Air_Station_Kaneohe_Bay
- https://www.mcbhawaii.marines.mil/Offices-Staff/S-4-Installations-Environment-Logistics/Environmental/Cultural-Resources/History-Mokapu-Peninsula/
- https://imagesofoldhawaii.com/military-units-on-the-mokapu-peninsula/
- https://aviation.hawaii.gov/airfields-airports/oahu/kaneohe-naval-air-station/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Coast_Artillery_(United_States)