What is Hawaii’s maritime heritage?
The maritime heritage of Hawaii begins when the islands were first settled by Polynesian voyagers perhaps as early as 1,700 years ago. Native Hawaiians depended upon maritime resources, used outrigger canoes to fish and maneuver along Hawaii’s high energy, rocky coastline, and developed a complex system of fishponds and fishing shrines. After the islands were recorded by Europeans in 1778, there was an influx of settlers, traders, and whalers. The focus of the economy changed over time from fishing to the sandalwood trade and whaling to the export of sugar and agricultural goods. Today, the waters of Hawaii are dominated by cargo ships, commercial fishing vessels, and recreational boats. The United States Navy took an interest in the Hawaiian Islands as early as the 1820s, began permanently stationing ships at Pearl Harbor and claimed Midway Island in the 1860s, and leased lands for a navy base in the 1880s. Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard was established in 1908.
