Cannon Club

Fort Ruger Military Reservation was established at Diamond Head (Lēʻahi) in 1906.  Also at Fort Ruger was the Cannon Club, a social club with a restaurant built in 1945 for the officers and their families.  The conclusion of World War II made the coastal batteries obsolete; in December 1955 the majority of the Fort Ruger land was turned over to the State of Hawai‘i – the Army kept the club.

The club, however, could not keep up with the times; the Army had to close the Cannon Club in 1997 as a result. For a few years, there was hope that the restaurant could reopen under private contractors, but the funding for the project fell through; the state acquired the property.  It is destined to be KCC's Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Diamond Head.”

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Kūpikipikiʻō

An eruption from a vent southeast of Lēʻahi (Diamond Head) poured dense lava into the sea to build a headland. The Hawaiians called it Kūpikipikiʻō (rough (sea) or agitated (wind or storm)) because of its turbulent waters.

The waves attack the headland directly, but the shore on either side of it is protected by a reef. (MacDonald)  The black lava that formed there prompted its modern name, Black Point.

When Kamehameha and his warriors made their attack in Oʻahu in 1795, they landed from Waikīkī to Maunalua – right in this area.  More than 100-years later, around 1901, one of Black Point's first houses was built by developer Fred Harrison.  (Star-Bulletin)

In January 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt instructed Secretary of War William H. Taft to convene the National Coast Defense Board (Taft Board) "to consider and report upon the coast defenses of the United States and the insular possessions (including Hawai‘i.)”

Based on recommendation of the Secretary of War, on January 18, 1906, President Teddy Roosevelt signed Executive Order 395-A, setting aside public lands at Kūpikipikiʻo Point for military purposes.

“From Kūpikipikiʻo Point to Waipiʻo Peninsula the line of defense is to be strengthened with field fortifications, batteries and searchlights, and as soon as the money becomes available the dirt will begin to fly and the concrete to take form, under the supervision of the army engineers.”  (Star-Bulletin, February 4, 1914)

Fort Ruger Military Reservation was established at Lēʻahi in 1906.  The Reservation was named in honor of Major General Thomas H Ruger, who served from 1871 to 1876 as the superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

The fort included Battery Harlow (1910-1943); Battery Birkhimer (1916-1943); Battery Granger Adams (1935-1946); Battery Dodge (1915-1925); Battery Mills (1916-1925); Battery 407 (1944); Battery Hulings (1915-1925) and Battery Ruger (1937-1943.)

Battery Mills was built on a 3-acre tract in the Kūpikipikiʻo Point Reservation.   Battery Mills was not technically part of Fort Ruger, but was administered by it.  The battery was armed with two 5-inch Seacoast guns.

There was a reinforced magazine for munitions, a plotting room/command bunker and an underground power room which had a generator. Those guns were later eliminated from the Army's inventory, so the Battery was decommissioned.

Battery Granger Adams (1933 and 1935) replaced Battery Mills and consisted of two 8-inch railway guns on either side of a protected powder and shell magazine, along with a Commander's Station and power room (it was felt that there was still a need for a gun battery at that location - it was later decommissioned in 1946.)

The conclusion of World War II and the advent of nuclear and missile warfare made the coastal batteries obsolete. Thus, in December 1955 the majority of the land was turned over to the State of Hawai‘i.

Nearby Kaʻalāwai Beach lies at the base of Diamond Head’s eastern slope, between Kuilei Cliff Beach Park (“lei stringing”) to the west and Black Point to the east.

Kaʻalāwai (“the watery rock”) is a narrow, white-sand beach with a shallow reef offshore, which makes for generally poor swimming conditions. There are only a few scattered pockets of sand on the nearshore ocean bottom.

Freshwater bubbles up between the rocks of the reef. The beach is mainly used by surfers, who paddle out to the surf spot called Brown's, which is located just behind the reef.

An old Beach Road fronted the Kaʻalāwai oceanfront properties.  In 1959, owners of the abutting properties claimed the ownership of the old beach road; after a series of lawsuits, many of them obtained declaratory judgments which allowed them to buy the road right-of-way.

At the east end of the beach near Black Point is Shangri-La, a mansion turned museum, built by Doris Duke, the daughter of James Buchanan Duke, the founder of the American Tobacco Company, and her husband, James Cromwell, in 1937.

Upon her father's death, Doris Duke received large bequests from her father's will when she turned 21, 25, and 30; she was sometimes referred to as the “world's richest girl.”

In the late 1930s, Doris Duke built her Honolulu home, Shangri La, on 5-acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Diamond Head.  Shangri La incorporates architectural features from the Islamic world and houses Duke’s extensive collection of Islamic art, which she assembled for nearly 60 years.

Today, Shangri La is open for guided, small group tours and educational programs. In partnership with the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art - which owns and supports Shangri La - the Honolulu Museum of Art serves as the orientation center for Shangri La tours.

To get to Kaʻalāwai Beach and Cromwell’s Cove take Diamond Head Road east and turn right on Kulamanu Street and park curbside.  The beach access is at the end of Kulamanu Place.

A later building boom by the wealthy turned Black Point into one of the world's most exclusive and expensive community.

The image shows a 1921 military encampment for a balloon squadron, overlooking Kūpikipikiʻo. In addition, I have included other images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook and Google+ pages.

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Lēʻahi – Diamond Head

Lēʻahi, also known as Diamond Head, is a nearly circular crater of approximately two-thirds of a mile in diameter.

Diamond Head is different things to different people: Homes of Hawai‘i’s Kings, Queens and Royal Families were in its shadow; It’s an internationally-recognized visitor industry icon; It’s the backdrop to the famous Waikīkī Beach; It served an integral role in the island military defenses; It is present home and command center for State Civil Defense; It’s an easy walk to the summit for spectacular views of the ocean and coastline and It is a backdrop to a transformation of social, political and religious events.

Lēʻahi, also known as Diamond Head, is a nearly circular crater of approximately two-thirds of a mile in diameter.  Diamond Head was given its name by British sailors who found natural calcite crystals on the slopes of the mountain and mistook them for diamonds.  Hawaiians called the volcanic cone Lēʻahi, Laeʻahi or Lae-ahi.  Translations include: “brow of the ʻahi” and “cape of fire.”

In the legend of Pele and Hi‘iaka, Hi‘iaka is said to have compared Diamond Head to the brow of the ‘ahi: Me he i‘a la ka Lae o Ahi; E kalali au ae nei i ke kai - Like a fish is the Brow-of-the-ahi Resting high above the sea.

Other names for Diamond Head include Point Rose (given to the geologic feature in 1786 by Captain Nathaniel Portlock in honor of the secretary of the British treasury), Diamond Hill and Conical Mountain.

Geologically speaking, Diamond Head is a dormant volcanic tuff cone, with a variable-height rim surrounding the recessed interior area; the eruption of Diamond Head took place well over 150,000-years ago.

The highest point (at 761-feet) on the southwest rim of Diamond Head is known as Lēʻahi Summit (most of the rim is between 400-500-feet.)  The crater is on the southern coastline of Oʻahu, approximately one-and-a-half miles south of the Koʻolau range.

From at least the 15th century, chiefly residences lined the shore of Waikīkī, and cultivated fields spread across the Waikīkī plain to the foot of the crater and inland to the Ko‘olau valleys.  There were several heiau in Waikīkī, of which several were located around Diamond Head.

One of Kamehameha’s main heiau (also suggested as a surfing heiau,) Papaʻenaʻena (also called Lēʻahi Heiau,) was situated at the base of the southern slopes.

Other heiau in the vicinity include Kupalaha Heiau, which may have been connected with Papaʻenaʻena, Pahu-a-Maui Heiau on the crater’s eastern cliffs overlooking the ocean (the site of the present Diamond Head lighthouse), Kapua Heiau near the present Kapi¬ʻolani Park, and Ahi Heiau on the peak of Diamond Head.

In the early years of the 19th century, people tended gardens in the crater and one visitor described finding “an abundance of melons and watermelons growing wild, upon which we feasted”.

In 1831, the botanist, Dr. FJF Meyen, noted the crater contained a small pool of water “which was completely covered with plants”.  (The crater pond was filled-in by military bulldozing; now, there is a seasonally-moist wetland where standing water can occasionally be seen.)

Some have suggested there is little likelihood for archaeological sites of pre-contact Hawaiian or early post-contact origin in the crater.  The archival research suggests that the only Hawaiian activity that might have taken place in the crater was dryland farming (dating to 1822.)

In the Great Māhele division of lands between the king and his high chiefs, Diamond Head, which lies within the ʻili of Kapahulu in the ahupuaʻa of Waikīkī, was awarded to William C. Lunalilo, the future king of Hawaiʻi (1873-1874).

In the early 1860s, Mark Twain commented, “On the seventh day out we saw a dim vast bulk standing up out of the wastes of the Pacific and knew that that spectral promontory was Diamond Head, a piece of this world which I had not seen before for twenty-nine years.  So we were nearing Honolulu, the capital city of the Sandwich Islands - those islands which to me were Paradise; a Paradise which I had been longing all those years to see again.  Not any other thing in the world could have stirred me as the sight of that great rock did.”

In 1884, the Kapahulu portion of Lunalilo’s Māhele award was subdivided by the Lunalilo Estate.  Diamond Head was transferred from the estate to the Hawaiian Government.

The summit of Lēʻahi affords an excellent and unobstructed view of the ocean from Koko Head in the east, to beyond the -ʻEwa Plain to Wai‘anae in the west.  The utility of Diamond Head did not go unnoticed by the U.S. Army.

In 1906, the US government acquired the 729-acres of Lunalilo’s property from the Hawaiian Government, as well as other adjacent lands (including Black Point), to create Fort Ruger Military Reservation, the easternmost of the coastal defense forts.

From 1963 to 2001, the FAA had its air traffic control facilities in Diamond Head crater, which guided Hawai‘i-bound aircraft from 250 miles outside the Islands to within 20 miles of their intended airport.

Diamond Head State Monument was first officially established under an Executive Order by Hawaiʻi’s Governor Quinn in 1962; nearly 500-acres of land now make up the Monument.

This early designation covered about 145-acres in a horseshoe configuration preserving the famous profile and the south and west exterior slopes from the crater rim down to Diamond Head Road.  Subsequently, Executive Orders have added additional lands to the Monument.

The interior of the crater had been closed to the public from 1906 until 1968.  (Remember the Sunshine Festivals In 1976, DLNR’s Division of State Parks became the agency responsible for the planning and management of the Monument – it is now open every day.

Two major tunnels (Kāhala Tunnel and Kapahulu Tunnel) provide pedestrian and vehicular access into the crater.

Two separate trail systems (interior and exterior) address different needs and purposes.  The exterior trail system has a dual function as a jogging and bicycle path traversing the mauka end of the Monument and along the existing trail on the lower -ʻEwa-makai slopes.  The interior trail system leads to the summit of Lēʻahi (1.6-mile round trip.)

Diamond Head is open daily 6 am to 6 pm, every day of the year including holidays, with entrance Fees of $5.00 per car or $1 per person for pedestrians (the money goes to State Parks.)  Mountain Biking is not allowed on this trail.  No dogs allowed in Diamond Head State Monument.

The image shows Lē‘ahi, Diamonds Head, in a 1928 aerial image.  I have also added other Diamond Head maps and images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook page.

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© 2012 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Fort Ruger, Lēʻahi (Diamond Head,) O‘ahu

In January 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt instructed Secretary of War William H. Taft to convene the National Coast Defense Board (Taft Board) "to consider and report upon the coast defenses of the United States and the insular possessions (including Hawai‘i.)”

In 1906 the Taft Board recommended a system of Coast Artillery batteries to protect Pearl Harbor and Honolulu.

Between 1909-1921, the Hawaiian Coast Artillery Command had its headquarters at Fort Ruger and defenses included artillery regiments stationed at Fort Armstrong, Fort Barrette, Fort DeRussy, Diamond Head, Fort Kamehameha, Kuwa‘aohe Military Reservation (Fort Hase – later known as Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi) and Fort Weaver.

The forts and battery emplacements batteries were dispersed for concealment and to insure that a projectile striking one would not thereby endanger a neighbor.

Fort Ruger Military Reservation was established at Diamond Head (Lēʻahi) in 1906.  The Reservation was named in honor of Major General Thomas H. Ruger, who served from 1871 to 1876 as the superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

The fort included Battery Harlow (1910-1943); Battery Birkhimer (1916-1943); Battery Granger Adams (1935-1946); Battery Dodge (1915-1925); Battery Mills (1916-1925); Battery 407 (1944); Battery Hulings (1915-1925); and Battery Ruger (1937-1943).

According to the specifications called for by the Taft Board and subsequent updates, various guns and mortars were included at the various Batteries.  These included 12" Mortars, 8" on railway barbette carriages and other gun emplacements.

A network of tunnels was carved into the mountain and cannon emplacements were placed atop the crater rim along with observation posts and bunkers.

The fortifications within the Fort are all made of reinforced concrete and vary in size from the massive Battery Harlow and the four-story fire control station at the top of Leahi, to a dozen more modest six pound gun emplacements along the rim of the crater.

Battery Harlow is a massive reinforced concrete structure imbedded into the rear of Diamond Head. Built in 1910, it has three large bunkers which are separated by "courtyards" that served as platforms from which eight 12-inch mortars were fired.

Batteries Hulings and Dodge were completed in October 1915. These reinforced concrete structures tunnel through the wall of the crater and each contains one small room. The gun platforms with 4.7 inch guns are on the exterior wall of the crater.

Also dating from 1915 are a dozen 6 pound gun emplacements which are located along the rim of the crater. These are simple concrete slabs with eye rings which helped keep the weapons in place. These were installed to protect the batteries against ground attack.

Battery Birkhimer is located on the floor of the crater, near the rear.  It also is made of reinforced concrete and primarily lies beneath the ground. Only its concrete portals are visible from the surface. Completed in 1916, this battery originally was armed with four 12-inch mortars.

Battery 407 was started in 1943 and completed near the end of World War II. Located on the front of Diamond Head, it has tunnels which go through the walls of the crater; it was armed with two 8-inch guns.

Battery Mills existed from 1916 to 1925 on the Kupikipikio Point Reservation on the lava point now known as Black Point and has long since been removed.  Battery Granger Adams (which replaced Battery Mills) was built there between 1933 and 1935, then decommissioned in 1946.  Roads and houses now cover this area.

The four-story fire control tower located at the top of Leahi was built between 1908-1910. It is reached by a trail which terminates at the 560 foot elevation, then up a concrete stairway to a 225 foot long tunnel, finally a long concrete staircase of 99 steps leads to another tunnel which opens out on the south face of Diamond Head (with four levels of fire control stations.)

From this elaborate fire control station all the guns along the leeward coast could be commanded. The lowest level was for Battery Randolph at Fort DeRussy. The next station above served both Randolph and Dudley at DeRussy. The third level commanded Battery Harlow at Fort Ruger and the top level was the battle commander's station.

From this vantage point, 761 feet above sea level, the battle commander could view the coast from Koko Head to Waianae.

The conclusion of World War II and the advent of nuclear and missile warfare made the coastal batteries obsolete. Thus in December 1955 the majority of the land was turned over to the State of Hawai‘i.

Currently, Fort Ruger is down-scaled and part of the Diamond Head State Monument Park and is utilized for training and various administrative purposes by the Hawaii Army National Guard.  Additionally, the installation is the presently home of the Joint Force Headquarters-Hawai‛i.

Battery Birkhimer has been recycled and presently serves as office space for the State Department of Defense.  The other Batteries are generally used for storage.

The image shows Lēʻahi with the various Batteries and Fire Control Station of Fort Ruger on a Google Earth image.  In addition, I have added other Fort Ruger images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/peter.t.young.hawaii

© 2012 Hoʻokuleana LLC