The sailors may get their chance. The Pentagon is considering moving one of its aircraft carriers from the Mainland to either Hawai'i or Guam to increase the Navy's ability to meet a multitude of potential security threats, from North Korea to terrorists in Southeast Asia. The Navy now bases 11 of its aircraft carriers on the Mainland: five in Norfolk, Va.; three in Washington state; two in San Diego; and one in Mayport, Fla. Another is home-ported in Japan.

The prospect of hosting an aircraft carrier pits two tropical economies heavily dependent on the military in direct competition for more defense dollars.

Guam argues it is better suited to host a carrier because the U.S. territory is 3,700 miles closer to potential hot spots in Asia than Hawai'i.

Hawai'i advocates say a larger labor pool and greater number of schools would be more able to absorb the arrival of the ship's more than 5,000 sailors and their families.

Democratic Sen. Dan Inouye said Hawai'i's highways, including three freeways linking major bases, and Honolulu's Tripler Army Medical Center, give the state added advantages over Guam.

Of course, bringing such a large number of people to O'ahu, the home of Pearl Harbor, would not be without complications.

Real estate has been selling for record prices in the past year, with the median price of a home on O'ahu hitting $550,000 in March. Rush-hour traffic jams are a constant headache.

The military would also have to conduct an environmental impact study before it could decide where to move a ship. Residents near bases might complain about noise from the new fighter jets.

Nevertheless, Hawai'i leaders say home-porting a carrier on O'ahu would be in both national and state interests.

"For the defense of the country I think it would be a good move," said Republican Gov. Linda Lingle. "Economically, it would add hundreds of millions of dollars to the economy."

Lingle said she would work closely with Hawai'i's congressional delegation to ensure the state wins the money it would need for any school, road, water or sewage-system upgrades in support of a carrier deployment.

"Like any opportunity for economic development, there are always going to be impacts," Lingle said. "For the long term, the trade-off is a good one, as long as we get the resources we need to mitigate some of those impacts."

Retired Adm. R.J. "Zap" Zlatoper, commander of the Pacific Fleet from 1994 to 1996 and currently a Honolulu businessman, said strong local support for military families is another factor making Hawai'i a great place to base a carrier.