Pearl Harbor During the Civil War-- Part 1

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands, an event that plunged the United States into World War II.

It is amazing that the attack came as a surprise. It is too bad no one picked up on it before all those people had to die.

The Hawaiian Islands and Pearl Harbor had been of interest to the United States as far back as the 19t century. With increasing American trade in the Pacific and especially after the purchase of Alaska, the importance of having a military presence in Hawaii became more and more important.

From Wikipedia.

Pearl Harbor was known to Hawaiians as Pu'uloa and is a lagoon harbor. In the 19th century, large ships did not use it because of the shallowness of the entrance. But US interest grew in the area as whaling and trading in the Pacific grew.

By 1820, there was an "Agent of the U.S. for Commerce and Seamen" located in the nearby Port of Honolulu.

More to Come. --Old B-Runner