Brief History

Marine Corps Base Hawaii
Currently, MCB Hawaii is comprised of the base in Kaneohe Bay on the Mokapu Peninsula, Camp H.M. Smith in Halawa Heights, Manana Family Housing, the Pearl City Warehouse Annex, Pu'uloa Range Complex near Ewa Beach, and Marine Corps Training Area Bellows beside Waimanalo. The two major installations are at Kaneohe Bay and Camp H.M. Smith. MCB Hawaii is headquartered at Kaneohe Bay on windward Oahu.

Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay
Mokapu Peninsula
The human history of Mokapu Peninsula spans at least 1,000 years and is as diverse as the backgrounds of those who call Hawaii home. The story of Mokapu includes accounts of people, gods and the supernatural, tells of events that have proved to be of international importance, and records the experiences of those who have lived within the wealth and limitations of island resources.

Archaeological evidence confirms human presence on Mokapu Peninsula since the 13th century A.D., when inhabitants would have enjoyed an area rich in natural resources, including sea birds, seaweed, shellfish and sea turtles. The archaeological record reflects only intermittent and temporary ancient use of Mokapu Peninsula.

By the 1400s, the Polynesian settlers had established permanent homes throughout the islands, including at Mokapu. They cleared native vegetation to construct homes and plant crops, and built many small ko'a (fishing shrines) along the western coastline of Mokapu Peninsula, larger heiau on promontories, and stone platforms and enclosures as foundations for pole-and-thatch houses. The early Hawaiians altered many shallow marine and marsh areas to create walled fishponds (loko Ia) where they could raise fish to be harvested.

Prior to the first European contact in 1778, Mokapu Peninsula was divided into three ahupua'a (basic land unit)—Kailua, Kaneohe and He'eia —which were, in turn, divided into six ilis. The western lobe of the peninsula, called Mokapu, was located in the He'eia ahupua'a. In those early days, the major sector of Mokapu Peninsula was reserved for high chiefs and kings, one of whom built his royal palace near the Nu'upia fishponds. King Kamehameha the Great met at Mokapu with his aliis (chiefs). It was during this time that the peninsula was named. The original name of the peninsula "Moku-Kapu" was derived from two Hawaiian words: "moku" (small island or peninsula) and "kapu" (sacred or keep out). It could be interpreted "Keep out because what lies here is sacred."

The first 150 years after European's arrival brought great changes to the Hawaiian Islands. Few records refer to Mokapu Peninsula during the early 1800s; the earliest relate to St. Catherine's Catholic Church, built on the western area of the peninsula in the 1840s. There, and at He'eia, Catholic priests and converted Hawaiian worshipers found both sanctuary from religious persecution and adequate resources to sustain life.

Land use on Mokapu Peninsula changed markedly during the early 20th century. Ranchers moved herds of cattle in to graze on its broad grassy expanses. So many beach cottages lined the peninsula's western coastline, the former territorial governor of Hawaii, Sam King, started his own subdivision there. Until the 1920s, residents accessed Mokapu by driving their horse-drawn buggies across the shallow reefs in the vicinity of the Kane'ohe Bay side of the Nu'upia fishponds. Cattle pastured on the peninsula by Harold K.L. Castle were, until the 1930s, herded across the shallow reef and on to market in Honolulu.

Kuwa'ahoe Military Reservation and Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay
The U.S. military history of the base dates back to 1918 when, on the eastern shore of the peninsula, Fort Hase was commissioned and was known as the Kuwa'ahoe Military Reservation. Army artillery moved into the area in response to World War I.

In 1939, the Navy began construction of a small seaplane base on the western end and, upon its completion, Naval Air Station, Kaneohe's role was expanded to include the administration of the Kaneohe Bay Naval Defense Sea Area. On Dec. 7, 1941, the name Pearl Harbor exploded into history. The first blow of the Japanese attack, however, was directed at Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay. During the attack, a Kaneohe-based Sailor named John Finn was cited for his heroic actions and later became one of the first Medal of Honor recipients during World War II.

The Army's Camp Ulupau, renamed "Fort Hase" in 1942, 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 war, air station activities consisted of limited air operations, a small security detachment and a federal communications center. In May of 1949, the Navy decommissioned and closed NAS, Kaneohe Bay. All property (except buildings) was transferred to NAS, Barbers Point. The Navy put Mokapu Peninsula land up for lease, but no interested parties came forward. By Jun. 1950, only a small security detail remained.

In 1951, the station was proposed as an ideal site for a combined air-ground team, so the Marines negotiated for control of the former Naval air station. On Jan. 15, 1952, Marine Corps Air Station, Kaneohe Bay was commissioned. The air station played an integral part in support of the American military's efforts throughout the Pacific region between 1965 and the early 1990s.

In Apr. 1994, the Marine Corps consolidated all of its installations and facilities in Hawaii, under a single command—Marine Corps Base Hawaii, headquartered on the base in Kaneohe Bay. In Oct. of that year, the Marine Corps deactivated the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade, and redesignated several of its units as part of III Marine Expeditionary Force, Hawaii. These units became tenants aboard MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay; their parent command, III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), remains headquartered in Okinawa, Japan.

Today, MCB Hawaii continues to serve as a fully functional operational and training base for U.S. Marine Corps forces. The commander's vision for MCB Hawaii to be the installation of choice for the Warfighter, to continue to meet and exceed the expectations of those who use its facilities and services.

Marine Corps Base Hawaii,
Camp H. M. Smith
On Jun. 8, 1955, the camp was named in honor of the late Gen. Holland M. 'Howlin' Mad' Smith, USMC, of World War II fame. He was the first commanding general of the Fleet Marine Force, Pacific.

Originally a sugar cane field, the 220-acre site was purchased for $912,000 in March, 1941, for a Naval hospital. Work began in Jul., and following the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor in Dec., construction of the 1,650-bed facility was rushed to completion. The hospital was commissioned on Nov. 11, 1942, and continued to expand.

Throughout World War II, the Aiea Naval Hospital served thousands of wounded Sailors and Marines. It reached its peak following the battle for Iwo Jima in Feb. and Mar. 1945, when 5,676 patients received medical care at one time. On Jun. 1, 1949, the hospital was deactivated when Army and Navy medical centers were consolidated at Tripler Army Medical Center.

In 1950, the Territory of Hawaii began negotiations to obtain the Aiea facility. In 1955, however, the Marine Corps selected the site that now serves as home for Marine Corps Forces, Pacific. The camp was dedicated on Jan. 31, 1956. In Oct. 1957, Camp Smith also became the headquarters for USCINCPAC. All U.S. military units located in Hawaii, and others within the Pacific theater, fall under the command of what is now the U.S. Pacific Command, which remains headquartered —along with U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific —at Camp H. M. Smith.  read more...

---