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Archiver > HAWAII > 1998-09 > 0905324346


From: William Disbro <>
Subject: Re: John KEENAN, whaler-Sandwich Islands
Date: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 20:59:06 -1000


Dear Edward and Jill,
One thing stands out in this that leads me to belive it was
Honolulu harbor. Steamships had been used as early as 1855 as tugs at Honolulu
Harbor because of the twisting nature and the narrowness of the channel leading
into it.
Jill is correct in saying that Lahina was a big whaleing port
but so was Honolulu at this time also Hilo Harbor was a big whaleing port in
this time frame. Honolulu is my guess because unlike Lahaina ,Honolulu was much
harder to get into and that steamships had been used as tugs there to tow ships
into and out of it's harbor.
Tommorrow is my day off so I will go down to the State Library
and check the old newspapers for that date to nail this down for sure. Shipping
list where printed then even asthey are up to now in the local newspapers.
Aloha
William Disbro
ps. before 1855 ships were towed in by groups of men walking on the reef
pulling on a hawser also used where horse and oxen as motive power. The Akamai
was the first steamer that was used intermitantly as a tug beginning in 1855.
By 1866 the use of steamships as tugs was pretty well established in Honolulu
Harbor.

Jill C. wrote:

> Edward,
> Further research will be necessary, but several harbors are possible,
> including
> now unused Mahukona on the Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii (where my
> husbands ancestors arrived about 1898).
> Another could be Hilo's harbor, also in Honolulu area there are Pearl
> Harbor, Honolulu and Kewalo harbors.
> In Maui are Kahului harbor and Lahaina harbor, all of these harbors have
> coral reefs near or beyond them. And Kauai has Nawiliwili harbor, I
> believe.
> I know from personal knowledge that Lahaina harbor and area hosted MANY
> ships in the 1860's literally hundreds of sailors roamed Lahaina town
> during this period, many merchant ships and whaling ships would moor in the
> Maui basin area as it is quite shallow and offers excellent protection and
> they would send small boats ashore filled with sailors and others from
> around the world.
> I hope this helps a little.
> Jill
> ----------

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