[2] Pearl Harbor started as naval facility and coaling station after a December 9, 1887, agreement.

King Kalākaua granted the United States exclusive rights to use Pearl Harbor as a port and repair base.

The United States–Hawaii relationship started with the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875, a free trade agreement.

[3] The shipyard grew quickly, and work began on the first drydock, which collapsed before opening in 1913.

The shipyard officially became its own entity in December 1941 as part of the Navy's effort to separate military from industrial operations.

[5] The shipyard has grown to four dry docks, which are mainly used for repairing and maintaining nuclear submarines.

The NISMF Pearl Harbor ships are kept afloat and in fair working order, so they can be reactivated for emergency use.

Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility is part of the United States Navy reserve fleets.

The contract also included a power plant and mooring for aircraft carriers at the shipyard.

With the Pacific War's vast fleet a marine railway was completed on September 15, 1943 for work on destroyers and submarines.

The shipyard had vast salvage work after the attack, both to repair damaged vessels still afloat and to raise sunk or capsized ships.

USS Oklahoma was salvaged but not put back in service due to her age.

The shipyard did not have all the material and equipment to do the salvage operations and had to be shipped from the mainland, arriving in February 1942.

[12][13][14] Post World War II, in the Korean War (1950–1953) some ships in the United States Navy reserve fleets returned to active duty after being overhauled at the shipyard and Sea trial by the base.