Ford Island News

Inside the USS Gerald R. Ford

President Donald Trump addressed the more than 10,000 people attending the ceremony where the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), was commissioned on Saturday, July 22 in Norfolk, Va. “Wherever this vessel cuts through the horizon, our allies will rest easy and our enemies will shake with fear because everyone will know that America is coming and America is coming strong,” said Trump. Acting Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley recalled President Theodore Roosevelt, who used to say, “Walk softly, and carry a big stick.” Stackley then turned to Trump and said, “Mr.

This Day In Naval History: August 31

1842 - Congress replaces the Board of Navy Commissioners, a group of senior officers who oversee naval technical affairs, with the five technical Bureaus, ancestors of the Systems Commands. One of the 1842 Bureaus, the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, continues to serve under its original name. 1862 - The daily rum issued to US Navy sailors on board vessels is abolished. On July 14, by an Act of Congress, the spirit ration ceases Sept. 1. Secretary of Navy Gideon Welles issues…

73rd Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Attack

Dec. 7, 1941 is a day that America will never forget. Claiming more than 2,400 American lives, 21 ships sunk or damaged, and more than 300 aircraft lost, the attack on Pearl Harbor goes down as one of the worst attacks on American soil. The Japanese attack came in two waves. During the first wave, six Japanese carriers launched 181 planes carrying torpedo bombers, dive bombers, horizontal bombers and fighters. Only 30 minutes later 170 more aircraft launched their attack on the Harbor. The U.S. was able to repair all but three of the ships sunk or damaged. The three ships that were beyond repair were USS Arizona (BB-39), USS Oklahoma (BB-37), and USS Utah (AG-16). This year marks the 73rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

U.S. Pacific Fleet Welcomes New Commander

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- Adm. Gary Roughead assumed command over the Navy’s largest area of responsibility as Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, when he relieved Adm. Walter F. Doran July 8 in front of the USS Missouri Memorial on Ford Island. Military and civilian guests gathered not only to say goodbye to Doran but also to welcome Roughead. Speakers included Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark and Commander, U.S. Pacific Command Adm. William J. Fallon. Attending dignitaries included various flag and general officers currently serving in the Pacific region, in addition to former Pacific Command and Pacific Fleet commanders. Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, (D-Hawaii), and civilian and military dignitaries from several Asian and Pacific nations also were present.

Casting Off

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Erik Horner casts off a mooring line as the U.S. Army's Theater Support Vessel-1X USAV Spearhead gets underway from Ford Island at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Aug. 11, 2005, to conduct a capabilities demonstration. The 98-meter aluminum-hulled catamaran can maneuver personnel with their equipment from staging bases to remote locations at speeds of up to 40 knots. Horner, is a Navy cryptological technician-technical assigned to the USS Lake Erie (CG 70). DoD photo by Petty Officer

A New View

For years, forensic historians relied on survivor and eyewitness testimonies and, if available, material testing or intelligence reports to help gather evidence to piece together an event. In the early 1990's, seduced by computer technology, photo imagery analysis gained a tremendous uplift enabling imagery scientists to use special algorithms to enhance and sharpen images; changing the way we view the world today. History recorded that five midget submarines deployed as advance forces to attack capital ships in Pearl Harbor had failed to inflict any damage. By the use of digital photo imagery combined with forensic engineering analysis technology, the results of an analysis on a single photograph taken during the 1941 attack will change that view.