Hawaiian Island Achievements

Why the Hawaiian Islands were Valuable to American Interest in the Pacific Can eight little islands really defeat an entire empire? Maybe not on their own, but even the most insignificant of lands can prove overwhelmingly decisive in the most colossal of conflicts. The Hawaiian Islands were important to the United States (U.S.) for strategic, tactical, and logistical reasons in planning for a war in the Pacific. Had it not been for this archipelago, the Pacific War might have lasted much longer. The United States’ interest in Hawaii went back almost half a century before December 7, 1941. Since around the 17th century, Japan had never lost a war and the tradition of Samurai militarism went unchecked. Even through de-isolation, this militaristic
J. Barker says, “With the acquisition of Hawaii and the Philippines . . . in 1898, the need for a powerful fleet to protect them had become clear to all thoughtful Americans.” (10). Under William McKinley the Spanish-American War broke out, and the U.S. came to be in need of more Pacific bases. Japan staunchly opposed U.S. involvement in Hawaii, sending warships to Honolulu prior to McKinley’s authorization of the annexation. This fact alone reveals just how important these islands were. The Japanese interest in the archipelago, due to its large population of Japanese nationals, frightened Washington and added to the push for an American takeover. The U.S. was also wary of the increasing military might of Japan, as would be proven 6 years later in the Russo-Japanese War. Planning for a strong naval presence in the Pacific was necessary to insure defense and protection of American interests, soil, and people. So it was, that as early as 1898, the tension between the U.S. and the Empire of Japan was kindled. (Morgan
Yet Japan’s strike in no way diminished the value of the base. After the raid, one of the greatest salvage jobs in history began, clearing the harbor of its debris, salvaging sunken ships, rescuing trapped personnel, and repairing damaged equipment. (Victory at Sea Episode 2). Critical to the outcome of the battle, the U.S. Pacific carriers (Ranger was in the Atlantic) were absent from the harbor, and the oil tanks on the island were left undamaged. In order to truly eliminate Pearl Harbor as a strategic U.S. base, instead of temporarily compromising it, the Japanese would have had to land on and occupy the island, and that would have been next to impossible. Thus Hawaii and its strategic value remained in U.S.