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The first step in the internet investigation was to determine what Fort Kam looked like in the 1940’s. Google
searches eventually turned up a 1922 survey of all the coastal defenses of the United States and territories, including Hawaii.
The map above, from that survey, shows the shoreline, batteries, and major roads of Fort Kam when it was the largest of a
group of forts that protected the island of Oahu and was home to three regiments of Coast Artillery. Note the long east-west
road, now named Worchester Road, and the north-south road, now named Seaman Road. Fort Kam featured a number of large
and medium caliber gun emplacements, or batteries. Four of these, Batteries Hasbrouck, Selfridge, Jackson, and Hawkins,
were grouped in the western half of the fort near the enlisted barracks and officers quarters. The photographs show examples
of the type of guns that were mounted at these batteries. While the guns were removed long ago, the concrete batteries
are still in place and would provide important landmarks for determining locations of old structures.
Additional searches were unable to find comprehensive maps of Fort Kam dated any later than the 1922 survey. There
was, however, some photographic material available. This aerial photograph, taken in October 1941, shows the proximity
of Fort Kam to Hickam Field, one of the major targets of the Japanese attack on December 7th. Major landmarks on the Fort
are indicated on the picture, and show that the Fort did not change appreciably during the years between the 1922 survey and
the 1941.
This more detailed map of the western and central areas of Fort Kam show the buildings, batteries and other structures.
The detail in this map allowed correlation between current structures and others that have since been demolished or otherwise
removed.
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