Diamond Head Lighthouse

by Craig Wood

Title

Diamond Head Lighthouse

Artist

Craig Wood

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

Located at the eastern end of Waikiki Beach, Diamond Head Crater is a familiar landmark to the throngs of tourists who today pack the high-rise hotels in the area. For mariners of yesteryear, Diamond Head also served as a landmark, guiding their approach to the harbor at Honolulu from the west coast of the United States.
In the 1820s, sailors discovered what they believed were diamonds in the rocks on the volcano’s slopes. Although the sailors’ diamonds turned out to be clear calcite crystals, the name Diamond Head has been associated with the crater ever since.

With the increase of commerce calling at the port of Honolulu, a lookout was established in 1878 on the seaward slopes of Diamond Head for spotting and reporting incoming vessels. John Charles Petersen, a mariner born in Sweden, was the first watchman at the station and was paid fifty dollars per month. After his arrival in Hawai`I, Petersen married a native girl who died just four months after the birth of their daughter Melika. Diamond Head Charlie raised his daughter at the isolated station, where he served for thirty years until his death in 1907.


Diamond Head Lighthouse in 1904 - note external staircase and hole through tower
During the night of October 2, 1893 the SS Miowera grounded on the reef just off Diamond Head. As Diamond Head was obscured that evening, the vessel’s captain had mistaken the high land to the north of the crater as Diamond Head and had brought his ship too close to shore. All passengers and cargo were safely offloaded, but it took six weeks to free the Miowera. Four years later, the magnificent steamship China also ran aground near the dormant volcano’s crater. It was widely believed that both of these incidents could have been avoided had a light been shown from Diamond Head.
Captain James King, minister of the Interior for the Republic of Hawai`i, had been petitioning the Hawaiian legislature for a light on Diamond Head for several years, and according to the following account from the December 4, 1897 edition of the Pacific Commercial Advertiser steps were finally being taken to rectify the situation. All rights apply. FAA watermark will not appear on any photo or product purchased.

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January 27th, 2020

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