Lualualei, Hawaii is the largest coastal valley on the leeward side of

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. It is located on the west side of the

Waianae Range Waianae () is a census-designated place (CDP) in the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP population was 13,614. Its name means "waters of the mullet". Its etymology is shared with the far norther ...

Etymology

The name could mean either "beloved one spared", or more likely "flexible wreath", according to Hawaiian Language expert Mary Kawena Pukui.

Geography

The town on the makai side of the valley (westward towards the ocean) is Māili.

United States Navy facilities

The valley hosts several government communication stations including USN VLF Lualualei and the USCG Communication Station Honolulu. The Naval Magazine Lualualei also is located in the valley. The Waikele Gulch magazine was a 350-acre area where steep-banked ravines allowed tunnel construction with no two entrances facing. The construction was in response to the Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet directive to solve the problem of massive ordinance storage above ground with secure underground storage readily accessible for Pearl Harbor. Construction began in September 1942 with completion in December 1943. The completed facility had 120 tunnels 240 feet long serviced by 9 miles of railroad, 10 miles of paved road and the facilities for magazine operating personnel. On June 11, 1944 some 78 Torpex torpedo warheads exploded during transfer from a truck to a tunnel loading platform killing ten and injuring three.

References

External links

** {{Hawaii Valleys of Hawaii Landforms of Oahu Waianae Range Historic American Buildings Survey in Hawaii