More About Kahoolawe The Target Island

The eight Hawaiian Islands are:
Hawaii (also known as the Big Island)
Maui
Kahoolawe (uninhabited; temporary residential facilities)
Lanai
Molokai
Oahu
Kauai
Niihau

You can see the island of Kahoolawe from the south shore of Maui. It is a very small island, about 11 miles long and 6 miles wide. The land is dry and arid, as the island receives no more than 25 inches of rain annually.

The official website of Kahoolawe has lots of interesting historical information about the island. That website is definitely worth a visit! Here's a small "teaser" from that site:

"The island’s lack of a freshwater source, disease, and violent wars among competing chiefs led to a sharp decline in the population, and Kahoolawe became almost barren. Sometime around 1830, when the missionaries had arrived from New England, the Hawaiian government of King Kamehameha III replaced the death penalty with exile, and Kahoolawe became a prison colony. In 1853, a law was passed repealing the law that made Kahoolawe a penal colony."

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Submitted by Going2Oahu on Wed, 2007-12-26 13:47

Aren't there more islands in the chain?

Submitted by jdubhub on Wed, 2007-12-26 15:17.

I seem to remember that there are more, uninhabited islands west northwest of Niihau, including French Frigate Shoals. French Frigate Shoals was important to the history of December 7, 1941 because the Japanese wanted to refuel a seaplane from a submarine there to do one final status check prior to the attack to ensure there were carriers in port. Unfortunately for the Japanese (but fortunate for the carriers), a US Navy ship was anchored there and the plan was scratched.

The Japanese were able to use FFS at least one other time for a seaplane raid on Pearl, but the US military built a small base on the island around mid-1942 and it wasn't used by the Japanese again.

Here's a short history of French Frigate Shoals:
http://www.radiojerry.com/frigate/