Aloha Moku Ahi

Fireboat Moku Ahi tied up at Pier 15, Honolulu Harbor, by the Waterfront Fire Station. 26 September 2009. 

The fireboat, Moku Ahi,* a familiar fixture at Pier 15 in Honolulu Harbor for almost 30 years, is gone.

Moku Ahi was built by Moss Point Marine (now part of VT Halter Marine) of Escatawpa, Mississippi at a cost of nearly $3 million. She arrived in Honolulu in early January 1990.

Intended as a replacement for the aging Abner T. Longley (commissioned in May 1951), Moku Ahi was commissioned on 15 February 1990. However, she was plagued by mechanical problems right from the start. It took three years to iron out all of the issues and make necessary modifications. She finally entered active service in June 1993.

The State of Hawai‘i was the official owner of Moku Ahi and was responsible for her maintenance. However, she was operated and staffed by the Honolulu Fire Department, which is part of the City and County of Honolulu. This arrangement was the source of conflicts between the State and the City over the years.

Moku Ahi inbound to Pier 15. 30 July 2011.

In October 2013, it was discovered that Moku Ahi was taking on water due to corrosion wastage of part of her hull. She was officially taken out of service in March 2014.

The estimated cost of repairs to Moku Ahi’s hull and the expenses related to her manning and maintenance, played a part in the State’s decision to put her up for auction in October 2016.

Moku Ahi remained at Pier 15 until July 2018.

Name removed, wheelhouse windows boarded up with plywood, and towing cable in place…a sad sight. 15 July 2018.

*The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation held a statewide contest in 1989 to name the new fireboat. The prize for the winning suggestion was a $100 savings bond. In Hawaiian, one definition of moku is ship or boat. Ahi is fire. So, Moku Ahi is, literally, ”fire boat.” The word mokuahi was originally used to refer to a steamship.