HHMS ''Kaimiloa'' was the first and only ship of the Hawaiian Royal Navy. The ship was formerly the ''Explorer'', a 170-ton

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

, built in England in 1871. ''Kaimiloa'' sailed from

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

and other Pacific islands in 1887 in an effort by

King Kalākaua King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

to form a confederation of Polynesian states to counteract

European imperialism Imperialism is the state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas, often through employing hard power (economic and ...

. The instance nearly resulted in military conflict between the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island ...

and the German Empire, who viewed Samoa as their possession in the Pacific. It was also used as a training ship. In the

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language o ...

, ''kaimiloa'' (from ''ka imi loa'') means "one who seeks afar" which roughly translates 'explorer'.Helen Geracimos Chapin, "Shaping history: the role of newspapers in Hawai'i"

Commissioning

Walter M. Gibson Walter Murray Gibson (March 6, 1822 – January 21, 1888) was an American adventurer and a government minister in the Kingdom of Hawaii prior to the kingdom's 1887 constitution. Early life Gibson was generally thought to be born March 6, 1822 ...

had himself named secretary of the Navy, among his other titles. However, the "navy" did not have any ships. On January 22, 1887, Gibson convinced the government to purchase the ''Explorer'', a British merchant steamer employed in the

copra Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from copr ...

trade. The ''Explorer'' had been launched as ''Firebrick'' in

Blyth, Northumberland Blyth () is a town and civil parish in southeast Northumberland, England. It lies on the coast, to the south of the River Blyth and is approximately northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne. It has a population of about 37,000, as of 2011. The port o ...

in 1871.

bought the ship for $20,000 and added the rigging.Logs of Kaimiloa & Velocity
. Accessed on August 16, 2011. After being refitted at great expense (over budget and behind schedule), the ship was renamed ''Kaimiloa'' and came into commission on 28 March 1887Kaimiloa, March 28, 1887
Accessed on August 16, 2011. and was ceremonially launched on April 20, 1887.

Henri Berger Henry or Henri Berger (August 4, 1844 – October 14, 1929) was a Prussian Kapellmeister, composer and royal bandmaster of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1872 to 1915. Biography Berger was born Heinrich August Wilhelm Berger in Berlin, and became a ...

composed a march in her honor. ''Kaimiloa'' finally set sail on May 18, to serve as John E. Bush's flagship. The ship's captain was George E. Gresley Jackson. Twenty-four of the crew members were young Hawaiians who were enrolled in reform school, and who were placed on the ship's crew with only one month of training.Crew of the Kaimiloa, March 28, 1887
Accessed on 16 August 2011. Due to the music program which was in effect at the reform school, some of these crew members were also members of a military band. They were led by Charles Palikapu Kaleikoa, who was a member of the Royal Hawaiian Band.Kaimiloa Cadet Band
Accessed on August 16, 2011.

Voyage

Seeking an alliance with Samoa, ''Kaimiloa'' set sail on May 18, 1887, and reached

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō ...

on June 16. However, due to Samoa already being in negotiations with the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

, and the United Kingdom and United States of America also keeping track of the situation, talks did not progress well. During these negotiations, the military band held a concert for the townspeople of Apia, which helped to build up good relations between them and the Hawaiians. There were few problems caused by the crew, with only one incident that required reprimand being on record. Due to the effects of the coup d'état that happened in July 1887, the ship was ordered to return home on August 23.Several of the crew members remained in Samoa after this
Pasefika Designs, LLC.
Accessed on August 16, 2011. They arrived in Honolulu on September 23. This was the only voyage conducted by ''Kaimiloa'' for the Hawaiian navy. The crew were disbanded on August 29, and the ship was decommissioned on August 30.Bob Krauss Research Index
(search for "Kaimiloa"). Accessed on August 16, 2011. After this, Charles Palikapu Kaleikoa reformed the

Royal Hawaiian Band The Royal Hawaiian Band is the oldest and only full-time municipal band in the United States. At present a body of the City & County of Honolulu, the Royal Hawaiian Band has been entertaining Honolulu residents and visitors since its inception i ...

and continued to play in it until his retirement 40 years later. Later on, the

Samoan crisis The Samoan Crisis was a standoff between the United States, the German Empire, and the British Empire from 1887 to 1889 over control of the Samoan Islands during the First Samoan Civil War. Background In 1878, the United States acquired a fuelli ...

evolved into the

Samoan Civil War The turbulent decades of the late 19th century saw several conflicts between rival Samoan factions in the Samoan Islands of the Oceania, South Pacific. The political struggle lasted roughly between 1886 and 1894, primarily between Samoans contest ...

(1887-1889) with rival colonial powers supporting different chiefs as kings of Samoa.

After decommissioning

After being decommissioned, ''Kaimiloa'' was used as a quarantine ship, but in 1888 it was sold for 2,800 dollars and used as a transportation vessel between the

Hawaiian islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

. In 1894, the

Gatling guns The Gatling gun is a rapid-firing multiple-barrel firearm invented in 1861 by Richard Jordan Gatling. It is an early machine gun and a forerunner of the modern electric motor-driven rotary cannon. The Gatling gun's operation centered on a cy ...

were removed by the administration of the

Republic of Hawaii The Republic of Hawaii ( Hawaiian: ''Lepupalika o Hawaii'') was a short-lived one-party state in Hawaii between July 4, 1894, when the Provisional Government of Hawaii had ended, and August 12, 1898, when it became annexed by the United State ...

. Later, the steam engine was also removed and used by the sugar industry. ''Kaimiloa'' was then used to transport coal and oil. In 1910, the hull was burned.

References

{{Reflist Naval ships Ships built on the River Blyth Military of the Hawaiian Kingdom Schooners 1871 ships Water transportation in Hawaii