Hawaii Real Estate | Hawaii Relocations | Hawaii Home Buying & Selling

Located smack in the middle of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Ford Island connects by the Ford Island Bridge (Named the Admiral Clarey Bridge) and houses many naval facilities and has military housing as well.

The island was called "Moku  ‘ume ‘ume" (moe koo oo may oo may) and the translation is ‘isle of attraction'.  The island was named after a Boston physician named Dr. Seth Porter Ford (1818 to 1866) who practiced medicine at the Hawaiian Insane Asylum and US Seamen's Hospital  (1861-1866).

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When Dr. Ford passed away the island was sold to Honolulu Plantation and then the U.S. Army purchased Ford Island during World War 1 for $236,000. (Wow...you can't even buy a decent lot for that price now...let alone a whole island! )

During World War II Ford Island was in the center of the ‘attack on Pearl Harbor' because of all the battleship moorings  that surrounded Ford Island.

In 1962 Ford Island was decommissioned as a separate command and then placed under the Naval Base in Pearl Harbor.

Years before there was only passage to Ford Island by hourly ferry boat for cars and passengers on foot. 

The ‘Admiral Clarey Bridge" to Ford Island was completed and opened in 1998.

Up until a few years ago tourists could not visit the island without a military identification card or being invited by a resident.

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Anyone can now go on tours to the Mighty Mo and Battle Stations Tour (which includes the Mighty Mo)  but please take heed to the strict Security Policies on the website.  Operating Hours are from 8am to 5pm (excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day).  Access is down the street from the USS Arizona Memorial .  {{MAP}}

Be sure this is on your agenda when visiting Oahu.

It's a piece of history you won't forget.

While riding past the U.S. Navy ship "graveyard" located at Middle Loch in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (the Waipahu side of Pearl Harbor) I wondered how many ships were in this "graveyard". While researching I found out that this Middle Loch U.S. Navy ship "graveyard" is also known as a bone yard.

This Navy "Inactive" ship facility is just one of the three remaining bone yards for decommissioned vessels. This facility has been renamed about four times and is now known as the "Inactive Ships On-Site Maintenance Office".

The following information is of the remaining decommissioned ships in Middle Loch, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in the bone yard, their type, dates of commission and decommission. You can click on the links to learn more about the ships. 

My son was stationed on the USS Kitty Hawk  and it was homeported in Yokosuka, Japan. The day the war broke out in Iraq he was aboard the USS Kitty Hawk in the Persian Gulf. It was March 19^th and it was his birthday. He has since come home in 2006 and the USS Kitty Hawk sailed it's last voyage and participated in the RIMPAC 2008, The GEORGE WASHINGTON replaced the KITTY HAWK in Japan.  The USS Kitty Hawk continued on to Bremerton, Washington where it was decommissioned since January 31, 2009.

Picture below was taken on July 4th, 2008 while docked in between the RIMPAC 2008 excercises.

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Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii. With a sharp understanding that a listening ear is the key to a client's needs  she serves all Hawaii Home Buyers and Sellers on the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) including all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents.

Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com

Would you believe this giant golf ball traveled 4,000 miles around the Pacific Ocean between December of 2007 and April of 2008? Well, it's not really a golf ball like those you're thinking of after the Big Sony Open this last week here at Waialae Country Club. 

Up on the H-1 freeway off ramp I saw IT 'back in port' this past Saturday. (Actually, I found out it came back to port on the 3rd) We got off on the Waimalu exit and with excitement of a blogger gone wild wanting to take a picture specifically for this post I order my husband to Blaisdell Park. I walk briskly to ocean's edge to get a few shots of this GIANT floating station along with a few other shots.

This is the SBX-1 Seabased X-Band Radar and a recent test this past December proved that this was the first intercept test in which data was combined from the SBX and other sensors providing tracking data. Boeing's chief engineer, Norm Tew said, "This test was an important milestone for the Sea-Based X Band Radar, a powerful, mobile sensor.

The SBX-1 comes back to Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii once a year for repairs and though I only know a little about it; the one thing I'm sure about is that it is a vital part of our enhance missle defense.  

In any case, isn't it beautiful?

 © 2009 Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman, Hawaii Real Estate & Relocations