The historic resources remaining from one of the most painfully memorable events in American military history – the attack on Pearl Harbor – are in danger of being lost through a massive development initiative at Pearl Harbor’s Ford Island in Honolulu.
The December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor is seared into the memory of Americans to this day. Ford Island – the centerpiece of the Pearl Harbor National Historic Landmark District – is adjacent to Battleship Row, now home to the USS Missouri Memorial Association, and a few yards away from the memorial to the USS Arizona, which sustained the heaviest loss of life that day. Remnants of bomb craters and signs of the Japanese aircraft strafing runs are still visible. The original airfield, air tower, World War II hangars, a collection of bungalows, officers’ housing and landscaping with mature Banyan trees remain on the site. Yet these historic resources could be altered forever if there is inadequate planning to protect them.
“The attack on Pearl Harbor was one of the watershed events of the 20th century,” said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust. “Ford Island’s history must be thoughtfully preserved for generations to come, not overrun by piecemeal development. We stand ready to assist the Navy in creating a plan to protect the island’s historic resources, while enabling appropriate development.”
For more about the history of Ford Island and its former residents, read the following pages.