Ford Island Runway and Hardstand Areas
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Ford Island’s History The Attack—December 7, 1941 Ford Island, called Moku‘ume‘ume by Native Hawaiians, Japanese bomber and torpedo planes arrived at Ford was not traditionally inhabited before Europeans made Island from aircraft carriers positioned approximately contact because there is no naturally occurring fresh- 230 miles north of Oahu at 0755 on December 7, 1941. water source. However, the island served as a source of While the primary military objective of the attack was to pili grass, which destroy the Pacific Fleet of U.S. aircraft carriers (which the Native Ha- were not in Pearl Harbor that morning), the first task waiians used to of the day was to preclude an American defense by thatch the roofs disabling aircraft located at Ford Island and the other and walls of their airfields on Oahu. An air raid warning went out at 0758, dwellings. Cap- tain James Cook first landed in Hawaii in 1778, and while west- ern influence immediately became a fac- tor in the Pearl Harbor area, the region remained less developed than neighboring Honolulu throughout much of the 19th cen- tury due to its relative inaccessibility. Common practices by the Natives Hawaiians during the post-contact period returned to their aircraft carriers at about 1000, Pearl included fishing and the farming of taro, with western Harbor itself was in flames as damaged ships leaked agricultural influences also taking hold during the 19th oil into the water, while clouds of billowing black century. Ford Island functioned as a productive agricul- smoke darkened the morning sky. The harbor was tural area starting in the mid-19th century, and watermel- awash with dead and injured U.S. Sailors, oil, and de- ons and sugarcane grew on the island in abundance. In bris—a galvanizing start to a perilous and ultimately 1863, James I. Dowsett acquired a portion of the island victorious four years of war. Although only two of the through a land auction. Dowsett sold the property in aircraft hangars suffered substantial damage, the 1866 to a woman named Caroline Jackson, who married and General Quarters (i.e., Battle Stations) were ordered battleships, other vessels, and aircraft suffered devas- Dr. Seth Ford. It is from the Fords that the island takes its two minutes later. The battleships moored at Ford Island tating damage. Hangar 6 suffered fire damage due present name; the island has also historically been called came under attack at about 0803 as the Nevada was to a bomb exploding on the northeast corner of the Ford’s Island. In 1891, Ford’s son sold Ford Island to the hit by a bomb and the West Virginia was torpedoed. building. A dud bomb damaged the roof and floor of John Ii Estate, which leased Ford Island to the Oahu Sug- The California was hit by a torpedo at 0805. A Japanese Hangar 38, and ar Company. The island was planted with sugarcane, high-altitude bomber dropped an armor-piercing bomb the windows of aided by the recently dug freshwater wells that provided on the Arizona. Around 0810, the Tennessee and the the building were a reliable source of water on the island. The U.S. Navy be- Maryland were both hit by two bombs. Three torpedoes damaged from gan intensive survey efforts in Pearl Harbor in the 1890s, struck the Oklahoma, and the ship eventually capsized. the concussion locating the headquarters for these efforts on Ford Island. Of the approximately dozen bombs that hit Ford Island, of nearby bomb The Native Hawaiian history of Moku’ume’ume has been an estimated 9 incendiary 250-kg bombs were dropped strikes and flying commemorated in various on or near Hangar 6 during the initial attack; 4 bombs concrete frag- ways on the island, including are believed to have struck Seaplane Ramp No. 4. ments. re-enactments of Makahiki, a One of the bombs dropped near Hangar No.6 created Native Hawaiian Thanksgiving a 20-foot-wide and 7-foot-deep crater. The seaplane Although the season which includes spiri- ramp was bom- vast majority of tual cleansing and offerings barded and the Sailors were on to the god Lono, a cease-fire runways and shore leave on that Sunday morning, the loss of mil- to all war and fighting, and hardstand areas itary personnel life was staggering. More than 2,300 festivities including sporting were strafed servicemen were killed, including more than 1,100 on events and feasting to cele- with machine the Arizona alone. More than 1,100 servicemen were brate the bounty of the land. gun fire, the wounded in the attack. The numbers of civilian casu- alties were much smaller (68 killed and 35 wounded). Top photo: A house constructed using pili grass, shown in about 1900 and scars of which exhibiting some western-influenced features (like the open-roofed area in are still visible. Top right photo: Bomb and fire damage to Hangar 6 in background, with back). Photo by J.A. Gonsalves, from Bishop Museum Archives #SP 201238. When the sec- damaged seaplane in foreground; Bottom right photo: Photo of Ford Island Bottom photo: The first military boat slip on Ford Island was built in the late taken by Japanese pilot during the December 7th attack; Bottom Left pho- 1910s by the Army in the general location of the sugar plantation-era cable ond wave of to: Photo of Hangar 6 and various aircraft ablaze during attack, taken from ferry landing. The concrete loading ramp and seawall remain intact today Japanese channel; Top Left: Flight paths used by Japanese aircraft in their two attack near the southwest corner of the island. Photo from U.S. Army, Signal Corps, waves in their approach and retreat from Pearl Harbor and other targets on from National Archives II #111-SC-35225. attack planes Oahu. Hangars 175 and 176. and 175 Hangars ends of island. Bottom photo: NOAA Pacific Regional Center—re-purposed Center—re-purposed Regional Pacific NOAA photo: Bottom island. of ends areas clearly visible, along with modern family housing areas in NW and SW SW and NW in areas housing family modern with along visible, clearly areas Battle of December 7, 1941 7, December of Battle Top photo: aerial view of Ford Island today, with runway and hardstand hardstand and runway with today, Island Ford of view aerial photo: Top Battlefield Protection Program Grant # GA 2287-15-017 GA # Grant Program Protection Battlefield Ford Island, Pearl Harbor Hawaii Harbor Pearl Island, Ford Museum under National Park Service American American Service Park National under Museum American Battlefield Protection Program Protection Battlefield American This interpretive brochure prepared for Pacific Aviation Aviation Pacific for prepared brochure interpretive This National Park Service Park National http://www.pacificaviationmuseum.org Hours of Operation: Daily 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM 5:00 – AM 8:00 Daily Operation: of Hours 319 Lexington Blvd, Honolulu HI Honolulu Blvd, Lexington 319 and as stark reminders of Ford Island’s storied past. storied Island’s Ford of reminders stark as and for a variety of purposes, including parking, roadways, roadways, parking, including purposes, of variety a for and bomb splatter, remain largely intact and in use use in and intact largely remain splatter, bomb and hardstand areas, scarred by machine gun strafing strafing gun machine by scarred areas, hardstand landmark on the island, remains evident. The old old The evident. remains island, the on landmark Lodge. The Ford Island runway, the most prominent prominent most the runway, Island Ford The Lodge. the former BOQ Building is being used as a Navy Navy a as used being is Building BOQ former the and 176 as the NOAA Pacific Regional Center, and and Center, Regional Pacific NOAA the as 176 and Center for Excellence, NOAA is reusing Hangars 175 175 Hangars reusing is NOAA Excellence, for Center USPACOM is reusing the Dispensary as the HA/DR HA/DR the as Dispensary the reusing is USPACOM and 79, along with the Aerological Control Tower. Tower. Control Aerological the with along 79, and rehabilitated and adaptively reused Hangars 37 37 Hangars reused adaptively and rehabilitated use. The Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor has has Harbor Pearl Museum Aviation Pacific The use. historic structures are being repurposed for continued continued for repurposed being are structures historic airplane hangars, and the control tower. Many of the the of Many tower. control the and hangars, airplane “An American Battlefield” American “An Memorial, the Battleship Missouri Memorial, multiple multiple Memorial, Missouri Battleship the Memorial, include the Battleship Arizona Memorial, the USS Utah Utah USS the Memorial, Arizona Battleship the include Administration (NOAA) facility. The historic sites here here sites historic The facility. (NOAA) Administration and Hardstand Areas Hardstand and Lodge, and a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Atmospheric and Oceanic National a and Lodge, passing historic sites, 440 family housing units, a Navy Navy a units, housing family 440 sites, historic passing Ford Island Runway Runway Island Ford The island is a mixed operational Navy base encom- base Navy operational mixed a is island The Ford Island Today Island Ford Battery Adair is a gun battery constructed in 1917. The battery is now in the basement Ford Island of Quarters K, The Pacific Submarine Force Commander’s quarters, constructed in 1936. The airfield on Ford Island, to include the runway, hardstands, and associated facilities, represented the first professional airfield in the islands. Six battleships—the USS Nevada, USS Arizona, USS Tennessee, USS West Virginia, USS Maryland, and USS Oklahoma—were moored along Battleship Row adjacent to the southeast side of Ford Island on Luke Field the morning of December 7, 1941. Housing A bomb dropped by the Jap- anese on December 7, 1941, and likely intended for the USS California moored nearby, fell into the courtyard of the Dispensary but caused little damage.