The Military on Kahoolawe

Information about the military and military operations on the island of Kahoolawe Island in Hawaii.

When military operations began on Kahoolawe Island weapons testing started almost immediately with ship-to-shore bombardment and, later, with American submarines testing torpedoes by firing them at shoreline cliffs.

In 1965, the infamous "Sailor Hat" tests were conducted on the island: Three tests of 500 tons of TNT were detonated to simulate the blast effects of nuclear weapons on shipboard weapon systems, according to an after action report completed in 2004.

In 1965, the infamous "Sailor Hat" tests were conducted on the island: Three tests of 500 tons of TNT were detonated to simulate the blast effects of nuclear weapons on shipboard weapon systems, according to an after action report completed in 2004.

Protests of the bombing started in the mid-1970s and continued until 1990, when President Bush directed the military to stop.

Three years later, Congress authorized the transfer of the island back to the state and appropriated $400 million for the clean-up of unexploded ordnance.

In 2004, the Navy officially ended the Kaho'olawe Unexploded Ordnance Clearance Project.

Over the course of the work, according to an after action report, crews had cleared or detonated more than 28,600 unexploded ordnance from the island and along the shoreline. That count included 2,773 bombs, 30 grenades, and nearly 1,600 rockets.

The clean-up project "surface cleared" about 75 percent of the island. About 2,600 acres were also cleared to a depth of four feet.

Meanwhile, 25 percent of the island (some 6,692 acres) were left uncleared and uncleared areas remained hazardous.

In areas where the island was only surface cleaned, public access is only allowed with ordnance disposal experts.