Visit Hangar 79, Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

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Completed in 1941, this hangar was one of several structures that comprised the facilities at Naval Air Station Ford Island, which had opened as Luke Field in 1917 under the United States Army Air Service, with the Army Air Service moving to Hickam Field (now Hickam Air Force Base) in 1939, with the Navy subsequently undertaking major upgrades and construction on the facilities at the field in response to growing international conflict in Europe and Asia. The building was complete at the time of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, with damage to the windows of the hangar being preserved as a reminder of the events of that day. Originally a maintenance and engine repair facility, the 80,000-square foot hangar featured cranes that ran across its metal roof structure and allowed for easy lifting and replacement of aircraft parts, running as an assembly line to repair damaged aircraft and prepare aircraft for missions in the Pacific Theater. The building features large four-segment sliding doors with blue glass windows still featuring bullet holes from the attack on Pearl Harbor, large concrete pylons in the Art Deco style on the exterior, corrugated metal panels on other parts of the exterior, a front gable roof with monitors, and lower side wings with additional roof monitors. The various Naval Air Station Ford Island buildings and air strip were listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1964, owing to their significance during World War II and the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The building languished after the closure of Naval Air Station Ford Island in 1966, eventually falling into disrepair before becoming part of the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum in 2008, showing off various post-World War II aircraft and serving as a repair shop for the various aircraft on display at the museum. At present, the building is undergoing renovations that will repair the building’s roof and exterior to allow it to continue serving as a museum building.

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