From the Cover: Hawaii’s Military History — Fort Honolulu By COL Arthur Tulak, Ed.D. The oil on canvas painting on the cover of this issue of Commandery News is Paul Emmert’s 'View of Kekuanaohu, the Honolulu Fort - Interior', circa 1853, which provides a view of one of the fort, one early modern, western-style forts constructed in Hawaii. This article is focused on the history of the modern, Western-style forts constructed in Honolulu. The first Honolulu Fort was built in 1816 by the Russian-American Fur Trading Company, under the direction of German adventurer Georg Anton Schäffer (1779-1836). Much of what we know about forts in Hawaii is due to Historian Walter Judd wrote about forts and palaces through the entire monarchy period.1 In 1816, Honolulu was known as Kou, and the this fort was called Fort Kekuanohu.2 Russian great power competition. In 1804 Russians explorers and traders arrived in the Hawaiian isles aboard ships in the service of the Russian-American Trading Company operating out of Fort Saint Michael, in what is now known as Old Sitka, Alaska.3 Russian explorer, Otto von Kotzebue began a scientific journey of exploration, sailing out of St. Petersburg on July 30, 1815 to find a passage across the Arctic Ocean and explore the less-known parts of Oceania. In November 1816 Kotzebue entered Kailua Bay (Island of Hawaii) aboard the Russian brig Rurik, gaining the attention of the Kamehameha I, King of Hawaii and Oahu.4 During this time, Kotzebue met with King Kaumualii, the last king of Kauai, and conspired with him to take over the islands that Kamehameha I controlled. The Russians built four forts on Kauai, which included one built at Waimea, the remains of which, are still visible today.5 Otto von Kotzebue In 1815, Kamehameha I granted Russian representatives permission to build a storehouse near Honolulu Harbor. This project was under the direction of Mr. Schaffer who designed and oversaw the construction of a fort. According to Peter Young, “When Kamehameha discovered the Russians were building a fort (rather than storehouses) and had raised the Russian flag, he sent several chiefs, along with John Young (his advisor,) to remove the Russians from Oahu by force, if necessary.”6 Very little of this fort, erected on the grounds of what is today Walker Park (the site of the gate to the former Hackfeld Company) remains, however Fort Street in downtown Honolulu was so-named because the street led to the gate of the original fort.7
The Hawaiian Kingdom Rebuilds the Fort. Soon after the Russians left, the Hawaiians built a new fort nearby out of coral blocks faced with adobe clay, also known as Fort at Honolulu, or Fort Kamehameha I, Ka'ahumanu, or Kapapu. John Adams Kuakini, governor of Oahu, rebuilt the fort, extending its walls to a height of 16 feet and a thickness of 12 feet. The fort depicted in the painting was rectangular in shape, enclosed about 2 acres and measuring 340 feet long and 300 feet wide.8 According to Honolulu Star Advertiser Reporter Bob Sigall, the fort was the largest structure in the islands at the time.9 The new Honolulu Fort was immediately south of the intersection of modern-day Fort Street Queen Street. Hawaiians gave the fort the nickname of Kekuanohu, which literally means ‘the back of the scorpion fish,’ as in ‘thorny back,’ because of the guns that protruded from the fort walls, and also called it Kepapu, “the gun wall.”10 The number and assortment of cannon employed at the fort grew by the process of accretion of guns “of various calibers from assorted foreign ships, and by 1830, the fort had 40 guns mounted on the parapets all (6, 8, 12 and probably a few 32 pounders).”11 In 1838 there were 52 guns reported, and this grew to 63 guns in 1846, when the fort had a garrison of 286 soldiers, and the water-facing fort wall looking into the harbor was rounded to deflect cannon balls.12 In 1846 there were 63 guns mounted, with 286 men in garrison. In 1849 there were 70 guns reported.13 The fort included enlisted barracks, Officers' quarters, the Governor's House, prison cells, a guardhouse and several powder magazines.14 11
