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1941, A view painting by Blair Art Studios, a great place to obtain paintings, notice detail of hanger areas. |
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1941, A view painting by Blair Art Studios, a great place to obtain paintings, notice detail of hanger areas. |
| Before
1800, Ford
Island may have supported only temporary habitation during fishing,
collecting
pili grass, and seasonal cultivation of crops due to the lack of water
wells. In the years that followed, the island was used for raising
livestock,
including sheep, goats, pigs and rabbits. The island’s present name
honors
Dr. Seth Porter Ford, a physician who owned the island in the
mid-1800s.
Sugar cane cultivation at the turn of the 20th century was made
possible
by the drilling of an artesian well on the island. The United States
acquired
the island in several parcels between 1906 and 1918. For a time, the
Army
and the Navy shared the island as an aviation installation. By the late
1930s, the Army completed its move to Hickam and the Navy retained
exclusive
use.
On December 7, 1941, Ford Island acquired a special place in history when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The attack focused on the Pacific Fleet ships moored around the island and on the hangars and airfield on the island itself. In 1962, the island’s airfield was decommissioned as an active naval airfield. |
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| With
completion
of the 4,672-foot long Admiral Clarey Bridge in 1998, the island became
accessible to visitors and potential development. Later that year, the
decommissioned USS Missouri was berthed on Ford Island, and in 1999
officially
opened as a memorial and museum, honoring sailors and marines who
fought
for our country during time of war. These significant milestones
contribute
to the Navy's vision of developing Ford Island to centralize operations
in the Pearl Harbor area for overall efficiency, modernize facilities
and
reduce maintenance costs and congestion on the Pearl Harbor base.
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