By Kip Aoki, Star-Bulletin
Source: Judy Bowman, U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii
Some of the most mysterious objects on Oahu were created during a military building boom in the period between Annexation and World War I, when the U.S. Army began to assume defense of the islands. One of the most-visited - and obvious - is the peak of Leahi Crater, aka Diamond Head. Visibility means more than
the object that can be seen
Thanks to local military historian Bill Dorrance, author of "Fort Kamehameha" (and who points out an error in last week's WatDat: "It's 64th Coast Artillery REGIMENT, not 64th Coast Artillery Battalion. SHEESH!") we can tell you that the peak of Diamond Head was hollowed by Army engineers and turned over to troops on Jan. 20, 1911.
The job consisted of four observation levels called "Base-End Stations," where artillery spotters could send coordinates to "batteries" where the mortars and cannons were fired.
The top level was reserved for the Battle Commander; the second level for Battery Harlow (eight mortars at Fort Ruger that became active in 1910); the third level for Battery Dudley (two 6-inch cannons at Fort DeRussy), and the bottom level for Battery Randolph (two gigantic "disappearing rifles" at Fort DeRussy that became active later in 1915, because the Waikiki reef had to be dredged to allow the cannon barges ashore).
The peak of Leahi was manned by the 10th Company of the Coast Artillery Corps, reorganized in 1924 as Battery #A of the 16th Coast Artillery. Some open-air base-end stations for Battery Birkhimer (four mortars INSIDE Diamond Head) were added atop the peak during World War I.
The army cleared out during World War II. Battery Randolph is now the U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii.
By Burl Burlingame, Star-Bulletin