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HONOLULU (AP) — Amelia Earhart is returning to The Royal Hawaiian.

The historic Waikiki hotel is hosting an exhibition of rarely seen photographs taken of the pioneering aviator when she visited Hawaii and stayed at the “Pink Palace of the Pacific” during the 1930s.

The black-and-white images show a Earhart relaxing in a swimsuit and leaning against a palm tree while she gazes at the ocean. A few show her observing legendary surfer and Hawaii icon Duke Kahanamoku carve a pineapple for her.

The photos show a side of Earhart many people might not be familiar with, especially those who have only seen her wearing a bomber jacket and aviator pants.

“They bring her to life,” said Lynn Krantz, the archivist at Matson Navigation Co. which found the images in their files last year.

“For instance, when you look at this one and you see her smile — it’s like whoa, joie de vivre,” Krantz said, using the French phrase for “joy of living.”

Matson, which operated a luxury ocean liner between California and Hawaii in the early 20th century, built the Royal Hawaiian in the 1927 to give its well-heeled passengers a place to stay in the islands.

One of the photos shows Earhart listening to guitarists on a lanai that’s next to the lounge where the exhibit is being held.

Several shots show Earhart during a two-week trip to Hawaii that began in December 1934. She had arrived in Honolulu on Matson’s S.S. Lurline from Los Angeles, with her husband George Putnam, a publicist, and a Lockheed Vega airplane.

The couple initially explained they planned to use the plane to tour the islands. A few days later they surprised everyone with the announcement Earhart would pilot the plane back to California, a journey no one — man or woman — had ever attempted. She completed the flight in 18 hours on Jan. 12, 1935.

Other shots show her on her last trip to Hawaii in March 1937 — several months before she vanished over the South Pacific during an attempt to be the first woman to fly around the world.

Earhart, then 39, and her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared on July 2 en route to Howland Island from New Guinea.

Kelly Hoen, general manager of The Royal Hawaiian, said she’s heard from longtime returning guests who are enjoying getting a glimpse of what hotel looked like when their parents stayed there.

Younger guests, meanwhile, are learning more about the heritage of resort, she said.

Hoen stressed everyone — not just those staying at the five-star hotel — are welcome to enjoy the exhibit.

“We encourage everybody to come and take a look,” Hoen said.

The exhibit of 65 photos, which opened Saturday — Earhart’s 113th birthday — is scheduled through the end of the year.

Like its pioneering namesake, the Military Sealift Command dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Amelia Earhart (T-AKE 6) is executing a challenging new task the week of July 12.

The combat logistics force ship that typically delivers fuel and supplies to Navy ships at sea is currently serving as the launch platform for surface and air targets in support of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Singapore 2010.

Sailors from the targets detachment from Commander, Fleet Activities Okinawa, Japan, are embarked aboard Earhart, launching a variety of drones and surface targets to be destroyed by six ships from the U.S. and Singapore Navy in three live-fire exercises that began July 13.

Though the targets detachment has operated aboard other USNS ships, including rescue and salvage ship USNS Safeguard (T-ARS 50), this is the first time the detachment has operated aboard a T-AKE.

“The T-AKE is ideal for this type of operation,” said Chief Warrant Officer Melinda Chambers, mission commander, targets detachment. “The large platform is very well suited to launch and retrieve our types of equipment.”

Earhart is equipped with several cranes and davits used to launch the remotely activated drones that position the surface targets at sea. In addition, Earhart has different radar systems than the average combatant ship used to launch targets, so sailors steering the remotely activated drones experience less disruptive radar interference.

The targets detachment aboard Earhart is launching both surface and air targets.

For surface gunfire exercises, the targets detachment is launching a low cost towable target (LCTT), towed by a remote controlled jet-ski, called a RoboSki, which tows the LCTT to within firing range of U.S. and Singaporean ships.

For air exercises, the targets detachment fires an air-launched BQM-74E drone off Earhart’s deck. Resembling a cruise missile in size, appearance and flight characteristics, the targets team flies an aggressive profile toward the CARAT ships. Participating ships then decide upon and execute the most appropriate way to defend themselves using a combination of ship’s guns and missiles.

Earhart’s crew of 124 civil service mariners working for MSC are instrumental in assisting the targets detachment to launch and recover the LCTT and RoboSki. Earhart’s crew also includes 11 sailors who provide supply coordination.

Earhart’s crew expressed pride to be on the leading edge of supporting an important mission.

“It is an interesting opportunity for diverse seamanship and small boat operations that we wouldn’t normally find ourselves conducting, but certainly not beyond our capabilities to safely innovate,” said Capt. John C. Pope, Earhart’s civil service master.

In its 16th year, CARAT is a series of bilateral exercises held annually in Southeast Asia to strengthen relationships and enhance force readiness.