Ford Island
Encyclopedia
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, Hawaii. It is connected to the main island by the Ford Island Bridge. Before the bridge was built, Ford Island could only be reached by a ferry boat
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
which ran at hourly intervals for cars and foot passengers. The island houses several naval facilities. It also has four main groups of military housing: Nob Hill, Luke Field, Kamehameha Loop, and Battleship Cove. The United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
defines Ford Island as Block 9014, Block Group 9, Census Tract
Census tract
A census tract, census area, or census district is a geographic region defined for the purpose of taking a census. Usually these coincide with the limits of cities, towns or other administrative areas and several tracts commonly exist within a county...
81 of Honolulu County, Hawaii
Honolulu County, Hawaii
The City and County of Honolulu is a consolidated city–county located in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The municipality and county includes both the urban district of Honolulu and the rest of the island of Oahu, as well as several minor outlying islands, including all of the Northwestern Hawaiian...
. The island officially has 0.707 square miles (1.83 km2) of land and a population of 368 persons as of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
History
Ancient Hawaiians called the island Moku umeume—the isle of attraction. It was named after Dr. Seth Porter FordSeth Porter Ford
Seth Porter Ford was an American physician in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Seth Porter Ford was born October 12, 1817 in Washington, Connecticut.His father was John Mansfield Ford and mother was Polly Ann Calhoun ....
(1818–1866), a Boston physician who practiced medicine at the Hawaiian Insane Asylum and the US Seamen's Hospital from 1861–1866 after Charles Guillou
Charles Guillou
Charles Fleury Bien-aimé Guilloû was an American military physician. He served on a major exploring expedition that included both scientific discoveries and controversy, and two historic diplomatic missions...
.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
for US$236,000, and stationed the 6th Aero Squadron there on September 25, 1918. On April 29, 1919, the field was named Luke Field
Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Ford Island
Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Ford Island was a military use airport on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, United States. Prior to 1962, it was designated as Naval Air Station Ford Island until its downgrade from NAS to NALF...
, in memory of 2nd Lt. Frank Luke
Frank Luke
Frank Luke Jr. was an American fighter ace, ranking second among U.S. Army Air Service pilots after Captain Eddie Rickenbacker in number of aerial victories during World War I . Frank Luke was the first airman to receive the Medal of Honor...
. It was transferred to the Navy in 1932. At the height of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
more than 40,000 people lived and worked on the 450 acres (182.1 ha) island. The island was in the center of the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, because of the battleship moorings surrounding the island.
From the 1940s through the 1990s, Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
were guests at Ford Island.
The Naval Air Station Ford Island was decommissioned as a separate command in 1962 and placed under Naval Base Pearl Harbor control, but the former naval air station and airfield on Ford Island remained an uncontrolled naval auxiliary landing field for both military helicopters and military flying club aircraft until July 1, 1999. The island was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1964, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1976.
Several motion pictures were filmed on Ford Island, including In Harm's Way
In Harm's Way
In Harm's Way is a 1965 American epic war film produced and directed by Otto Preminger and starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Patricia Neal, Tom Tryon, Paula Prentiss, Stanley Holloway, Burgess Meredith, Brandon De Wilde, Jill Haworth, Dana Andrews, and Henry Fonda.It was the last black-and-white...
starring John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, Tora Tora Tora, and the 2001 Michael Bay
Michael Bay
Michael Benjamin Bay is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing high-budget action films characterized by their fast edits, stylistic visuals and substantial practical special effects...
picture Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor (film)
Pearl Harbor is a 2001 American action drama war film directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Randall Wallace, who wrote the screenplay...
.
Before the Admiral Clarey Bridge
Admiral Clarey Bridge
Admiral Clarey Bridge, also known as the Ford Island Bridge, is an automobile bridge providing access to Ford Island, a United States Navy installation situated in the middle of Pearl Harbor. The causeway bridge was completed and opened in 1998, named the Admiral Clarey Bridge after former Admiral...
was opened in 1998, transportation to and from Ford Island was by ferryboat. Tourists were unable to visit the island without a military ID or being invited by a resident. Now, civilians are able to visit the USS Missouri
USS Missouri (BB-63)
|USS Missouri is a United States Navy Iowa-class battleship, and was the fourth ship of the U.S. Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of Missouri...
and Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor there.
Features
- There are monuments to the USS UtahUSS Utah (BB-31)USS Utah was a battleship that was attacked and sunk in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. A Florida-class battleship, she was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the U.S. state of Utah...
and USS OklahomaUSS Oklahoma (BB-37)USS Oklahoma , the only ship of the United States Navy to ever be named for the 46th state, was a World War I-era battleship and the second of two ships in her class; her sister ship was . She, along with her sister, were the first two U.S...
on the island. - USS Missouri—which was the site of the Japanese surrender in WWIISurrender of JapanThe surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
and was recalled into active duty for the Gulf WarGulf WarThe Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
—is docked here. - Luke Field (est. 1919) is located here.
- Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Ford IslandNaval Auxiliary Landing Field Ford IslandNaval Auxiliary Landing Field Ford Island was a military use airport on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, United States. Prior to 1962, it was designated as Naval Air Station Ford Island until its downgrade from NAS to NALF...
is located here. - The Pacific Aviation MuseumPacific Aviation MuseumThe Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor is located on Ford Island, located in the middle of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The museum site occupies of the island...
is located here. Currently, the museum, which opened on December 7, 2006, is housed in Hangar 37 and there are plans to expand the museum to Hangars 54 and 79.