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An Apollonaut travel guide
An island in the harbour.
An introduction to Ford Island and its hangars, in the middle of Pearl Harbor.
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Ford Island today
Ford Island lies in the middle of Pearl Harbor and is part of an active military base. Visitors without base access reach the museum by the free shuttle from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, and cannot walk around the island.
A guide can give context without turning a place of memory into a backdrop. Notice how the hangars, the runway and the tower sit together on the island.
Hangars, glass and steel
Hangar 79 was built in 1939, and the bullet holes in its windows have been left as they were. Inside, aircraft are restored in the Lt. Ted Shealy Restoration Shop.
Begin with a detail and ask how it was made, repaired and maintained. A photograph alone cannot tell you who riveted a panel or patched a wing, or the conditions in which they worked.
A Ford Island chapter
The museum shows a distinctive side of Pearl Harbor: working hangars from before the war, kept as places of memory and learning.
Visit with the memorials of Pearl Harbor in mind, and with care for the people whose stories they tell.
Make room for context
Pair this reading with the museum’s history and the Journal. This is an introduction for visitors, not a claim that our team manages these places, commissions their restoration or represents their makers.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.
