Ford Island was originally called Mokuumeume, meaning "Island of Strife," by native Hawaiians. In the mid-1800s Honolulu physician, Dr. Seth Porter Ford, purchased the island; it was thus christened, Ford Island.
Upon being purchased by the United States military in the late 1800s, Ford Island was transformed into a naval base and airfield. Although no longer in use, the airfield on Ford Island is named in honor of World War I aviator Frank Luke.
Ford Island is home to the USS Missouri Battleship, the site where Japan signed the formal instrument of surrender, ending World War II in 1945. General Douglas MacArthur conducted the ceremony on the 108-foot battleship. It has been open to the public since 1999.
Ford Island features two of the most visited Pearl Harbor attractions, the Pacific Aviation Museum and the USS Missouri Battleship. The sites where the eighteen battleships were sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor are memorialized by plaques along the south side of the island in an area known as "Battleship Row."
The U.S. War Department became interested in acquiring Ford Island as a site to defend Pearl Harbor with the coming of World War I. Luke Field was officially established in 1919 but by 1940 the Army's presence on the Island was over. It has since become the exclusive property of the Navy.
The Admiral Clarey Bridge connects 335-acre Ford Island with mainland Oahu. Named after Admiral Bernard Clarey, the 4,700-foot bridge opened in 1998.
