“Now playing, Hawaiian traditional song, Manuela”
“Sound On Please”

THIS PAGE WAS POSTED PRIOR TO THE 2007 REUNION IN HAWAII.
Chuck Westbrook

ALOHA ALOHA



"2007 TORTUGA ASSO. REUNION IN HAWAII"
CONTACT INFORMATION & AN INVITATION FROM OUR PRESIDENT.
...ALOHA...

JACK SHIMIZU REUNION COORDINATOR.

E-MAIL JACK SHIMIZU
mcposhimizu@yahoo.com

E-MAIL PRESIDENT LARRY FAY
lolaveh@yahoo.com

E-MAIL JACK HAMMOND
smokearrow@aol.com

E-Mail Chuck Westbrook
ttwmaster1@yahoo.com

PLACE---Waikiki Resort Hotel
Honolulu Hawaii
DATE---September 12-16, 2007

"WAIKIKI RESORT HOTEL LINK, BOTTOM OF PAGE 2"

ALOHA ALOHA

FUN-FUN-FUN

DON'T FORGET TO BRING YOUR KIDS, OR GRAND-KIDS!

AN INVITATION FROM OUR PRESIDENT

This being the 17th reunion of the Association you are invited to attend a few days of fun and excitement on the beach at Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii. Meet new friends, renew old friendships and relax with your favorite Mai Tai. Now U ALL do like I ask, U ALL HEAR!!!!!!!!!!

LAWRENCE (LARRY) FAY
PRESIDENT
USS TORTUGA LSD-26/46 ASSOC.

"PICTURE YOURSELF HERE"

"OR, WOW ---HERE"

OR "EVEN HERE"

HAWAIAN ISLANDS MAP

SOME VERY PRETTY OLD POST CARDS FROM HAWAII
FROM THE 30'S, 40'S & 50's.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF HAWAII

The exact date is unknown and probably will remain so forever. But sometime after the beginning of the Christian era, Polynesians first set foot on these islands. Linguistic and cultural evidence suggest that the first inhabitants came from the Marquesas Group, to the north of Tahiti.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, waves of immigrants from Tahiti overwhelmed and absorbed the original people. Since the earliest Hawaiians were possibly somewhat smaller than the later immigrants, they may form the basis for the legends of the menehunes, who were pictured by the later Hawaiians as hardworking elves. Captain James Cook, the great Pacific explorer, happened upon the islands during his third voyage in 1778. Hawaii's long isolation ended at that moment. Soon, King Kamehameha the Great embarked on his successful campaign to unite the islands into one kingdom. At about the same time, Hawaii assumed importance in the east-west fur trade and later as the center for the Pacific whaling industry. In 1820, the brig Thaddeus from Boston arrived with the first missionary families.

Change came at a rapid pace as both education and commerce assumed growing importance. The old Hawaiian culture disappeared rapidly under the onslaught of new ways, new peoples, and new diseases, to which the previously isolated Hawaiians were all too susceptible. Whaling and the provisioning of the whaling fleet brought new money to the island economy. At times, as many as 500 whaling ships wintered in Hawaiian ports, principally Lahaina and Honolulu. In 1835, the first commercial production of sugar cane began and this crop took on ever-increasing economic importance, especially after the decline of the great whaling fleets. Native Hawaiians did not take kindly to the tedious labor of a plantation worker and, in any case, the native population had been seriously depleted by disease. Thus, there began the importation of labor from Asia and the Philippines and other areas of the world. It is this varied population that gave rise to the immense variety of Hawaii's present inhabitants.

Threatened constantly by European nations eager to add Hawaii to their empires, sugar planters and American businessmen began to seek annexation by the United State. This, too, would give them the advantages of a sugar market free of tariff duties. Finally, a treaty of reciprocity was negotiated in 1875 and this brought new prosperity to Hawaii. American wealth poured into the islands seeking investment.

Political control by Hawaiian royalty and the growing influence of Americans began to cause conflict. In 1889, there was an uprising of the native islanders against the constitution which had been forced on King Kalakaua two years earlier. The rebellion was suppressed. In 1893, with Queen Liliuokalani on the throne, the Americans formed a Committee of Safety and declared the monarchy ended. In 1894, the Republic of Hawaii was established. On August 12, 1898, the government of the Republic transferred sovereignty to the United States. Hawaii became a territory of the United States in 1900.

The pattern of growth then began to accelerate even more rapidly. The U.S. Navy set up its giant Pacific headquarters at Pearl Harbor and the Army built a huge garrison at Schofield Barracks. Pineapple, other crops, cattle ranching, and tourism slowly began to take on greater importance in the island economy.

The attack on Pearl Harbor marked America's entry into World War II and Hawaii and its citizens played a major role in the conflict.

The Americans are taken completely by surprise. The first attack wave targets airfields and battleships. The second wave targets other ships and shipyard facilities. The air raid lasts until 9:45 a.m. Eight battleships are damaged, with five sunk. Three light cruisers, three destroyers and three smaller vessels are lost along with 188 aircraft. The Japanese lose 27 planes and five midget submarines which attempted to penetrate the inner harbor and launch torpedoes. Escaping damage from the attack are the prime targets, the three U.S. Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers, Lexington, Enterprise and Saratoga, which were not in the port. Also escaping damage are the base fuel tanks. The casualty list includes 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians killed, with 1,178 wounded. Included are 1,104 men aboard the Battleship USS Arizona killed after a 1,760-pound air bomb penetrated into the forward magazine causing catastrophic explosions.

CLICK HERE FOR PAGE TWO
"MORE OLD POST CARDS FROM HAWAII & MORE HISTORY"