Security· Late 19th Century Foreign Interventions
Hawaii landing 1874
A protective landing at Honolulu during a Hawaiian succession crisis.
In February 1874 the death of King Lunalilo, who had left no heir, threw the kingdom into a disputed election, and when the choice of King Kalakaua over a rival claimant touched off rioting in the capital, Marines were landed from the American warships in the harbor to keep order and protect American lives and property. The deployment supported a peaceful resolution of the succession and was withdrawn once the disturbance passed; no casualties resulted. It was an early instance of the recurring American naval involvement in Hawaiian affairs, where a large resident American community and growing commercial interests drew the warships and their Marine guards ashore in times of trouble. The 1874 landing foreshadowed the far more consequential deployment of 1893, when American Marines would come ashore during the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy itself.
Record no. 472