Public Comment Period Open on Project Affecting World War II Era Sites on Marine Corps Base Kāne‘ohe

The Comment Deadline has been extended to September 21, 2022.

1. Notice of Comment Deadline Extended
2. HHF Comments
3. Additional reading: This WWII-Era Hangar Survived The Japanese Attack On Hawaii. The Marines Want To Tear It Down – Honolulu Civil Beat

9/2/22: Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i is accepting public comment on the potential environmental impacts—including demolition of a historic hangar that was damaged during the attack on December 7, 1941—for a project to base new aircraft at the Kāne‘ohe Bay base.

Comments are due Tuesday, September 7.

There will be an adverse effect on historic properties resulting from the proposed construction with the modification and destruction of two hangars. Both Hangars 3 and 4 are historically significant. Hangars 1-4 were constructed in 1941; Hangar 5 was built in 1943 and all five of them are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. They are anchor buildings in the Aviation Historic District and part of the setting of the Naval Air Station Kaneohe National Historic Landmark.

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation opposes the proposed demolition and has supported an alternative location that would be less impactful to historic and cultural resources.

The Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plan for Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i states that, “On December 7, 1941, the naval air station was among the first military installations to be hit during the Japanese attack on O‘ahu. Hangar 101 was nearly destroyed, and Hangars 102 and 103 and smaller buildings along the airfield suffered damage. Nineteen people were killed. One enemy plane crashed into the base of Pu‘u Hawai‘iloa and two others crashed into Kailua Bay.”

The NAS Kāne‘ohe Bay Aviation District includes 55 buildings and structures and the historic portion of the present runway. It also includes the wreckage of a PBY (patrol bomber manufactured by Consolidated Aircraft) offshore in Kāne‘ohe Bay. The major contributing facilities include five aircraft hangars, five seaplane ramps, and at least four additional buildings.  Hangar 1, the five seaplane ramps, the seaplane parking area to the east of Hangar 1, and the seaplane parking area between the hangars and Kāne‘ohe Bay were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987. The parking aprons still carry strafing marks and bomb craters from the 1941 attack.

In 2012, HHF noted that the MCBH World War II-era sites are critically endangered.

In 2020, Marine Corps initiated Section 106 consultation on two separate projects—one proposed by the Marines and one by the Navy—to base new aircraft, personnel and supporting infrastructure at the Kāne‘ohe base. These larger aircraft exceed the capacity of the existing hangars and have specific systems and equipment needed to maintain and repair the modern aircraft. As a result, Navy and Marine Corps are proposing to demolish many of the historic hangars and support buildings and construct new hangars in the district.

HHF is in active consultation with the agencies about alternative locations, designs and potential modifications to the proposal to minimize the adverse effect on the historic resources, archaeological sites and Native Hawaiian burials in the area.

Marine Corps and Navy notified HHF of its intent to demolish at least two and possibly four of the five historic hangars that are the defining buildings of the aviation district. This proposal follows a previous project to demolish the remaining revetments near the runways that sheltered aircraft during WWII.

Both the Windward Coalition and the Kailua Neighborhood Board PZ&E Committee have voiced concerns and opposition to the proposal due to the impacts to historic properties as well as health and environmental concerns from noise, vibration and air pollution.

Send your comments to: 
NFPAC-Receive@Navy.mil

Regular mail
EV21 Project Mgr
MCB Hawaii Home Basing EA
Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Pacific
258 Makalapa Drive Ste, 100
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI 96860-3134

Environmental Assessment available at:
https://www.mcbhawaii.marines.mil/Portals/114/WebDocuments/HomeBasing/MCBH_HB_Draft_EA_Aug2022_Final.pdf?ver=YY1PHhx9uzrBbvQUbyjN4w%3d%3d