The Control Tower on Ford Island, Pearl Harbor – Building S84 (Article II)
Posted on December 06, 2011 2010 December 2, 2011 Control Tower on Ford Island, Pearl Harbor Both Tora, Tora, Tora and Pearl Harbor prominently featured the tall red and white control tower on Ford Island. This article looks at the history of the control tower and its recent stabilization. This is the second in a […]
Ford Island: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii – December 7, 1941 (Article I)
Posted on November 21, 2011 Introduction Ford Island was the epicenter of the attack on December 7, 1941. Its seaplane base had dozens of long-range PBY patrol bombers capable of locating the Japanese fleet after the attack. Along her coast were moored seven of the Pearl Harbor fleet’s nine battleships. Ford Island is also where […]
Pan Am’s Pacific Clippers
Posted on September 14, 2011 The 1930s were the romantic years of flight. At the beginning of the decade, flying across oceans was a life-risking experience. However, beginning in 1936, Pan Am began to fly across the Pacific. Their aircraft were the beautiful, luxurious, and enormous Clippers. Built by Martin and Boeing, these amazing aircraft […]
Why did the Japanese Sink the Utah at Pearl Harbor?
Posted on July 29, 2011 Figure 1: USS Utah AG-16 First Wave of the Pearl Harbor Attack In the first wave of the Pearl Harbor attack, 16 Japanese B5N2 Kate torpedo bombers approached Ford Island from the northwest. The western side of Ford Island is where the Lexington and Saratoga usually moored when they were […]
Revenge of the Pearl Harbor Battleships
Posted on June 13, 2011 October 25, 1944, 0200 hours. It is the final major day of the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Six America battleships slowly steam back and forth across the mouth of the Surigao Strait. Five are survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack—West Virginia, Pennsylvania, California, Tennessee, and Maryland. Two forces of Japanese […]
Pearl Harbor: The Bombs of the Second Wave
Posted on December 23, 2010 Japanese Bombs and Torpedoes at Pearl Harbor On December 7, 1941, Japanese torpedoes and bombs devastated Hawaii’s warships and air fields. The “Weapons Wall” at Pacific Aviation Museum has full-size models of three of these weapons—the ones used in the first wave of the attack. The wall also shows the […]
Where Would the Enterprise Have Moored?
Posted on November 01, 2010 The Pacific Fleet’s three aircraft carriers were fortunately out of port on December 7, 1941. The Saratoga was en route from Bremerton, Washington to San Diego, where she would embark her air wing. The Enterprise and the Lexington were on missions to deliver aircraft to Wake and Midway, respectively. The […]
Phoenixes, Dragons and Cranes…Oh, My!
Posted on February 16, 2010 At the start of the battle, the crew of an American ship killed the Deep Blue Dragon. Enraged, the Flying Dragon destroyed the ship that had killed her sister. But the crew of another American ship, plus survivors from the first, returned and slew the Flying Dragon. The Battle of […]
Aircraft Carrier Ops
Posted on January 13, 2010 With every successful Navy is the integration of aircraft carriers and air superiority capabilities. The evolution of the aircraft carriers is equally as impressive with the switch from propeller to jet engines and the need for more specialized aircraft aboard. pictured below is the USS Essex CV-9 as it was […]
Amelia Earhart’s crash on Ford Island, March 20, 1937
Posted on November 16, 2009 THE MOVIE CRASH The movie Amelia graphically depicts Amelia Earhart’s crash on Ford Island in March, 1937. Ford Island is located in the heart of Pearl Harbor and is home to Pacific Aviation Museum. The crash ended her first attempt to fly around the world. The scene perfectly captured the […]