Sand Island Military Reservation

CDSG REPRESENTATIVE SITE VISIT REPORT

Fort Name: (Military Name/Harbor Defense) Sand Island Military Reservation/Harbor Defenses of Honolulu.

Date of Visit: 6/25/2006

Current Site Name: Sand Island State Recreation Area.

Site Use: (Park, School, Private Ownership, Landfill, Etc.) Park.

Is the Site open to the Public?: Yes.
Dates and Hours of Operation: Year-round. Hours are 7 a.m. to 7:45 p.m., from April to Labor Day, and 7 a.m. to 6:45 p.m., from the day after Labor Day to March 31st.

What type of programs are offered at the Site?: None.
Living History:
Tours:
Museum Shop: None.
Restoration Projects?: None.

What is the overall condition of the Site?: Fair.

What is the condition of the Individual Elements?:
Batteries: The gun emplacements of Battery Harbor (7-inch x 4 naval) are in fair condition. The powder and projectile magazines and other ancillary structures of the battery are of the “cut and cover” style of construction and are buried; the entrances have been blocked to prevent vagrants from living within.
Buildings: There are two WWII-era concrete bunkers that have been camouflaged to resemble a locomotive and a train station, which have their entrances sealed. Of note is a 1934-prototype machine gun pillbox, one of 12 built on Oahu that is on site with the firing embrasures sealed to prevent unauthorized entry. The former HECP is extant, and is a two tiered steel structure, which sits atop a 50-foot steel tower, the lower level housed the BC Station for the 7-inch naval guns (Battery Harbor). The tower is not accessible, vandals have tried to burn the interior of the top tier and the stairway has been removed. The overall condition of the HECP is fair.
Other Elements:

What is the protective status of the Site?:
National Park:?
National Register?:
State or Local Historic Site?:
None?: None.

Current Site Owner(s): Division of State Parks, Dept. of Land & Natural Resources, St. of HI.
Current Site Supervisor:
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Support Group: None.
Contact Person:
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Other Contacts at the Site: (Individuals interested in the history/preservation of the place)
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Is the Site or a responsible individual at the site a CDSG member?: No.

What information can the CDSG provide to the management of the site?: Unknown.

Are there any projects at the Site that would benefit from CDSG funding?:

Is there anyone at the Site that would submit material for the CDSG Journal?: No.

Any Special Situations at the Site: (Damage, Imminent Destruction, Etc.)

If individual batteries, base-end stations, buildings, etc. are in some way significant, please indicate:

Battery Harbor (7-inch x 4) was an emergency WWII battery built with obsolete navy guns, it is one of two remaining 7-inch naval gun battery sites on Oahu. The HECP is significant in that it played a vital role in the shipping that entered Honolulu Harbor during WWII.  The structure will eventually have to be torn down, as there are no plans or available funds for the upkeep, and in its present condition, represents a liability to the state. The 1934-prototype MG pillbox represents a style of architecture that is unique when compared to the mass-produced versions of WWII.