Preserving Pearl Harbor

Written by Steve Uyehara - suyehara@kgmb9.com

May 12, 2008 11:21 PM

If you've been down these streets before you've either worked at Pearl Harbor or you had special clearance.

The entire shipyard is a high security area called the CIA, no...not that CIA.

This is the controlled industrial area, at least a small part of it.

It may not look like much but you have to have an eye for this kind of thing.

"I am just so impressed with the connection with what is there today and what was there before and what will be there long after we're gone," said Kiersten Faulkner, Historic Hawaii Foundation.

For instance, rather than seeing the red and white paint on the side of this water tower, think back to Dec. 7.

Sailors hid up in the top of the towers, there were 3 of them back then and fired at enemy planes with their pistols.

You can't talk historic buildings without coming here. Building one. It's the very first administrative building built here in Pearl Harbor. But that's not all. Right down here in the basement, that's where they broke the Japanese code that eventually led to the end of World War II.

It was here that cryptanalysts tricked the Japanese into giving away the location of their main attack at midway.

So the U.S. was able to send the U.S.S. Yorktown and 2 other ships into battle.

"Had we not had that intelligence, had the fleet been at the wrong location, had we not had that 3rd carrier, the Yorktown in that fight, it's very arguable we would've lost Midway," said Shipyard Public Affairs Officer Kerry Gershaneck.

Building one is one of the most identifiable structures beyond the gates.

You may even recognize it as the hospital in the movie, "Pearl Harbor."

It is a shining example of what the Navy is obligated to do, restore and reuse its buildings protected under the national historic landmark title.

Ask Dave Stock who worked here for 23 years before changes were made.

"The first 2 floors have been renovated inside now. It's certainly a lot nicer than when we worked in it. But it still has a place in everybody's heart here," said Stock.

It's not that easy with every building, once each turns 50, it could join the historic list.

This is the Foundry or Building 6.

It's where workers melted metal and re-molded it to make various parts needed for the ships.

But now, those skills are not needed. The building is obsolete and like many, at this point un-usuable.

"They're 70, 80, sometimes 90 years old. They have special issues. They may not meet building codes. They have hazardous materials in them like asbestos. So it can be a challenge," said Preservation Specialist James Furuhashi.

A challenge indeed.

Buildings can take millions of dollars to restore, in the meantime the priority has to be fixing ships and submarines and keeping up with current technology.

So for the first time officials are working on a study to figure out which are the most important buildings in the story of Pearl Harbor.

In 2 years, they'll have a better understanding of just what must be salvaged.

Let's just say the decision won't be easy.

"The fate of the world changed because of what happened in Pearl Harbor. It doesn't get much more historically significant than that," Faulkner said.

And preserving this view is an essential part of preserving that legacy.

Last Updated ( May 23, 2008 10:57 PM )

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