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 Dec. 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's 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."
Ford Island is a 450-acre site at the heart of the Pearl Harbor historic district. Though the island's first use was for large-scale sugar cultivation, it was acquired by the U.S. government for Army and Navy development and transformed into a major air facility in the late 1930s. Shortly after the first wave of Japanese aircraft flew over Pearl Harbor at 7:55 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, the USS Arizona exploded and sank with 1,177 of her crew in less than nine minutes. By 10 a.m., 21 vessels lay sunken or damaged, the air full of smoke and death. Americans, previously divided over the issue of U.S. involvement in World War II, rallied to enter and win the war. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the infamous attack.
In 1999 the National Trust and the Historic Hawaii Foundation first learned that the Navy planned major housing development, a festival market place and recreational marina on Ford Island. The National Trust expressed concern over the plans in a letter to then-Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig.
Despite ongoing efforts since then-including nearly two years of discussions-resolution has not occurred regarding the future of this landmark and the Navy's plans for developing housing, commercial and recreational uses. The Navy has asked potential developers to be sensitive to the island's historic character, but the Navy's need for new facilities has caused it to move forward without completing the preservation planning needed for one of the nation's most significant 20th-century landmarks.
An agreement must be worked out with the Navy to ensure that development on the island follows a comprehensive master plan that gives full and careful consideration of the island's historic resources, starting with a completed cultural resources plan. It is important that a collaborative, public process inform development planning.
"It is commonly understood that to know where we are going, we must know where we have been," said Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of 'Pearl Harbor.' "To that end, it is crucial to protect Ford Island at Pearl Harbor from insensitive development. Given its proximity to Battleship Row, and the fact that the island hosts the original airfield, air tower, World War II hangars, bungalows, officers' housing and more, it is imperative that we preserve the essence of Ford Island. While the attack on Pearl Harbor is burned into the communal American memory, we cannot - and should not - rely on recollection alone. Ford Island lies at the heart of Pearl Harbor's National Historic Landmark District; sheltering this integrity is essential."
