Warplanes of the USA: Hawaii, Hickam AFB, Schofield Barracks, Wheeler Field, Kaneohe Bay, Barber's Point, Camp H. M. Smith, Fort DeRussey, Honolulu, Pearl Harbor, and Kauai

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Warplanes Preserved in Hawaii

Hickam Air Force Base

Hickam Air Force Base (Hickam AFB) lies about nine miles west of downtown Honolulu, between Pearl Harbor and Honolulu International Air port and 12 miles West of Waikiki.  It is the home base for Headquarters, Pacific Air Forces, the Air Force component of the Pacific Command; the host unit at the base is the 15th Air Base Wing.  The base is located in some of the most beautiful country in the United States.[1]

Hickam AFB was named in honor of Lieutenant-Colonel Horace M. Hickam, who died in an air crash in 1934.  The Quartermaster Corps hacked the airfield from tangled brush and sugar cane fields with construction of the base being completed in 1938.  During the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941, 124 people were killed, 37 were missing and 274 were wounded at Hickam.  Throughout the Second World War, Hickam AFB was the hub of the Pacific aerial network.  The Hawaiian Air Depot supported transient aircraft ferrying troops and supplies to forward areas.  The base also played a major role as a training and staging sit and as a supply center for both air and ground troops.  After the Second World War, Hickam AFB was represented almost exclusively by Air Transport Command and its successor, MATS (today’s Air Mobility Command), until 1957,when HQ Far East Air Forces moved from Japan to Hawaii, and re-designated Pacific Air Forces.  In 1985, Hickam AFB was designated a National Historic Landmark.[2]

Today Hickam AFB is a 2,700-acre work site for nearly 5,000 active-duty military and 2,400 civilian personnel.  With dependents, the base population is over 12,000.  The 15th Air Base Wing provides support for Air Force units stationed in Hawaii and other places in the Pacific area.  For more information contact the 15th Air Base Wing, Public Affairs Division, Hickam AFB, HI 96853-5000, or call (808) 449-6367.

The aircraft on display at Hickam AFB can be viewed along O’Malley Boulevard as you enter the base from the main gate.  Brief descriptions of each aircraft will be found at Annex A.  From East to West the following aircraft are on display:

(Author Photos)

Convair F-102A Delta Dagger (Serial No. 54-1373), camouflaged.

(Author Photos)

Douglas RB-26C Invader (Serial No. 44-35596), BC-596.

(Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Diana Quinlan, USN Photo)

Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star (Serial No. 51-6533), c/n 580-5865.

McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom (Serial No. 63-15796).

(Author Photo)

McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom (Serial No. 63-7540), c/n 568.

(Author Photo)

McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle (Serial No. 76-0018), c/n 197/A170.

(Author Photos)

North American B-25J Mitchell (Serial No. 44-31504), c/n 108-37479, former RCAF (Serial No. 5218), ex Reg. No. N9753Z.

(USAF, (NAID) Photo 542186)

Four USAF North American F-86E Sabre fighters of the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing over Korea on 22 May 1953.  The aircraft coded FU-649 (Serial No. 50-649) and FU-653 (Serial No. 50-653) are F-86E-5-NA models, FU-793 (Serial No. 51-2793) is an F-86E-10-NA.  FU-882 (Serial No. 52-2882) is an F-86E-6-CAN, originally built by Canadair, ex-RCAF (Serial No. 19351), but delivered to the USAF.  (Serial No. 50-653) is currently on display at Hickam Air Force Base near Honululu International Airport, Oahu, Hawaii.

(Author Photo)

Canadair CL-13 Sabre Mk. II, painted as a USAFF-86E Sabre, coded FU-653, "Beauteous Butch II", later painted as "Mr Bones V".

(Author Photo)

(Staff Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez, USAF Photo)

North American F-86E Sabre (Serial No. 50-0653), FU-653, c/n 165-199, previously “Beauteous Butch II”, currently "Mr Bones V".  Retired United States Air Force Lt. Gen. Winton W. “Bones” Marshall, a combat commander, Korean War ace and former Pacific Air Forces vice commander, and his wife, Mildred Taylor Marshall, who served in the Second World War as one of the original Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), pose for a photo in front of the newly repainted static North American F-86E Sabre fighter aircraft at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 8 Dec 2011.  PACAF and 15th Wing leaders dedicated the aircraft to Marshall in recognition of his sacrifice and service during the Korean War.  He is credited with 6-1/2 enemy aircraft destroyed, seven probable aircraft destroyed and six aircraft damaged.

Hawaii Air National Guard (HI ANG), Hickam AFB, 96853-53000, Tel: 808-422-0521.  Aircraft on display include the following:

(Author Photos)

North American F-86E Sabre (Serial No. 51-2841).

Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star (Serial No. 51-04230).  This aircraft was on display at Hickam AFB for many years, it is now on display in Toulouse, France, still wearing its HI ANG colors.

Rockwell OV-10 Bronco (Serial No. 67-14636).  This aircraft was on display at Hickam AFB, it has been moved, current location unknown.

Hickam AFB Firefighting Unit

McDonnell F-4C Phantom II (Serial No. 64-00793), fire-fighting hulk.

McDonnell F-4C Phantom II (Serial No. 66-07540), fire-fighting hulk.

Schofield Barracks and Wheeler Field

Schofield Barracks was named in 1909 in honor of Lt. Gen. John M. Schofield, a Civil War veteran.  Schofield Barracks presently consists of 14,000 acres and is home to the 25th Infantry Division (Light), “Tropic Lightning.”  After distinguished service in three wars (the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam), the division is based at Schofield, which has been its permanent home since it was established there in October 1941.  Schofield is located in the center of Oahu off the H-2 Freeway, 17 miles North West of Honolulu.  The base is also home to the 45th Corps Support Group (Forward); the 703rd Military Intelligence Brigade; Hawaii National Guard; and Army Law Enforcement Command.  The film “From Here to Eternity” was filmed at Schofield Barracks.  Bullet holes from the Japanese attack on the morning of 7 December 1941 can still be seen in some of the buildings.  Schofield’s population today includes about 15,600 military personnel, their 11,000 dependents, and 4,600 civilian employees.

As of 1 November 1991, Wheeler Army Airfield (formerly Wheeler Air Force Base) came under the control of Schofield Barracks.  The landing strip at Wheeler was first cleared in 1922 and that same year named Wheeler Field in honor of Major-General Sheldon H. Wheeler.  Today its 1,300 acres are home to the men and women of the 25th Infantry Division’s aviation brigade and other units.  Helemano Military Reservation and Fort Shafter are also under the control of Schofield Barracks.  The helicopters and aircraft on display at Schofield Barracks/ and Wheeler Army Airfield include:

(Author Photo)

Bell UH-1H Iroquois Helicopter (Serial No. 0-15127).

(Author Photo)

Bell UH-1H Iroquois Helicopter (Serial No. 27548), Medevac Helicopter.

(Author Photo)

Bell AH-1S Cobra Helicopter (Serial No. 68-15036), c/n 20570.

Bell AH-1S Cobra Helicopter (Serial No. 66-15298), (33068), location TBC.

(Author Photo)

Bell OH-58A Kiowa Helicopter (Serial No. 70-15358), c/n 40909.

(Author Photos)

Hiller OH-23G Raven Helicopter (Serial No. 64-15245).

(Author Photos)

(Loran Doane, U.S. Army Garrison, Hawaii, Public Affairs Photo)

Soldiers from B Company, 209th Aviation Support Battalion push a Curtis P-40 Warhawak into position near Wheeler's Kawamura gate. The static display used in the movie "Tora, Tora, Tora" was recently refurbished by the Soldiers, 12 June 2008.

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk (Serial No. 41-18P), No. 155, mock-up.  This P-40 Warhawk was used in the film “Tora, Tora, Tora,” and donated to the Air Force by 20th Century Fox Film Corporation Studios.  The aircraft mock-up was restored by the 22nd Tactical Air Support (TAS) Squadron, Wheeler AFB, in 1974.  A plaque placed near this aircraft has the following dedication:

On the 7th of December 1941, Wheeler Field was the primary fighter base in the Pacific and a key target of the Japanese attack.  At 0800 hours, waves of enemy planes bombed and strafed the flight line, the barracks and hangars.  The resulting losses were 83 aircraft destroyed or damaged and 97 personnel killed or wounded.  While the bulk of American fighter planes were caught on the ground, six pilots managed to get their aircraft airborne during the attack and, against overwhelming odds, scored the first American victories of the Second World War.

(Curtiss P-36 Hawk, USAAF Photo)

           46th Pursuit Squadron, flying Curtiss P-36 Hawk aircraft

           Pilot                                               Victories

           1/Lt Lewis M. Saunders                     1

           2/Lt Philip M. Rasmussen                  1

           2/Lt Gordon H. Sterling Jr.                 1

            47th Pursuit Squadron, flying Curtiss P-40 Warhawk aircraft

           Pilot                                               Victories

           2/Lt George S. Welch                         4

           2/Lt Kenneth M. Taylor                      4

           2/Lt Harry W. Brown                          1

Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Air Station

Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) (nicknamed “K-Bay”) was initially opened in 1918 at Fort Hase and later commissioned as Kuwaaohe Military Reservation.  In 1939 the Navy constructed a small seaplane base.  The NAS role expanded to include the administration of Kaneohe Bay Naval Defense Sea Area.  In 1941 it was the home base for an Army artillery unit.  On 7 December 1941, NAS Kaneohe Bay was the first US installation to be attacked by the Japanese.  (It is reported that there are the remains of at least four Consolidated PBY-5 Catalinas still lying in Kaneohe Bay where they were sunk during the attack).  After the war, the NAS was limited to small air operations and a small security detachment, as well as a federal communications center.  Marines assumed control of the NAS combined air-ground team; and naval operations were moved to Barber’s Point NAS.  The aircraft from Barber’s Point have been returned since that NAS closure in 1999.  The location is ideal for deployment to the Far East as well as for intermediate refueling and as a maintenance stop for tactical support aircraft during transpacific flights.[5]

Kaneohe Bay MCAS has grown into a major Marine Corps installation and home for over 15,000 Marines, sailors and their dependents.  Also designated “Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), the largest tenant aboard the station is the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade.  

Kaneohe Bay lies on the north side (the windward side) of the island of Oahu, opposite Honolulu and across the Koolau Mountains, which rise to a height of 4,000 feet.  Kaneohe Bay MCAS is situated on the Mokapu Peninsula, which forms the eastern shore of the bay and is the site of the University of Hawaii’s Marine Lab and the Kaneohe Bay Park.  For more information write to: Joint Public Affairs Office, MCAS, Kaneohe Bay, HI 96863-5001, or call (808) 257-5743.[6]  Aircraft on display at Kaneohe Bay MCAS include the following:

(Author Photos)

Vought F-8U-2 (F-8C) Crusader (BuNo. 146973), WT-00.

(Author Photo)

Grumman S-2D Tracker (BuNo. 147870), 22, c/n 10C.

(Author Photos)

Lockheed P2V-5 Neptune (BuNo. 150279) VP-17 (1944-95) VP-6 (1943-93).

(USN Photo)

Lockheed VP-3A Orion (BuNo. 149675) assigned to the Executive Transport Detachment (ETD) Hawaii, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, flying over Hawaii.  This aircraft had been originally built as an P-3A and was later modified as a WP-3A weather reconnaissance aircraft.  It was replaced by the WP-3D and rebuilt as a VP-3A VIP transport and finally retired on 23 September 2005.

Lockheed TP-3A Orion (BuNo. 151392), c/n 185-5105.

(Author Photo)

McDonnell F-4S Phantom II (BuNo. 153689), VMFA-212, painted as (BuNo. 155894), WD-100, c/n 3542.

(Author Photo)

Sikorsky CH-53D Sea Stallion Helicopter (BuNo. 157740), 24, c/n 65-316.

Sikorsky CH-53D Sea Stallion Helicopter (BuNo. 158748) 1st MAW ASE.

Barber's Point Naval Air Station, Naval Air Museum Barber’s Point

Lockheed EC-121K Warning Star (BuNo. 143223), near the tower at Naval Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii, 1965.  (USN Photo)

Barber’s Point Naval Air Station occupied about 3,600 acres of land to the west of Pearl Harbor and Ewa Beach, Oahu, and is just south of the Farrington Highway.  Commissioned in April 1942, the base was used to train pilots and to service aircraft from aircraft carriers in the Pacific Theatre, which included the USS Lexington, the USS Yorktown and the USS Enterprise.  After the Second World War, Barber’s Point NAS served as a rapid demobilization center and provided support functions for all area aviation activities.

In 1949, the adjacent Ewa MCAS was incorporated into the NAS boundary.  In 1950, Patrol Squadron Six arrived from NAS Whidbey Island, Washington, and many other units followed, establishing Barber’s Point as a major anti-submarine warfare aviation center.  During the Korean War the NAS served as a major cargo forwarding and personnel replacement center for UN forces.  In 1973 the NAS became the operational shore command of Commander, Patrol Wings, US Pacific Fleet.  The station was known as the “Crossroads of the Pacific” and the “home of the Rainbow Fleet.”  The station was the home port for a large number of military tenants who have been relocated since the base closure in 1999.  Naval Air Museum Barber’s Point, 1792 Midway Road, Kalaeloa Airport aircraft collection includes:

Bell UH-1H Iroquois Helicopter (Serial No. 69-15708), c/n 11996.

Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver, lies in the waters off Barber’s Point (see list of air crashes on Oahu for further details).

Douglas C-47A Skytrain (Serial No.).

Douglas A-4E Skyhawk (BuNo. 149959), AH-300, c/n 13191.  This aircraft is painted in the colours of the aircraft flown by LCdr John McCain when he was shot down over North Vietnam on 25 July 1967.

(Author Photo)

Douglas A-4E Skyhawk (BuNo. 150023), c/n 13076.

Douglas A-4E Skyhawk (BuNo. 151030), c/n 13200.

Douglas A-4E Skyhawk (BuNo. 153689).

Grumman F6F Hellcat.

Douglas A-4E Skyhawk (BuNo. 152061), UA-00, c/n 13449.

Grumman TBF Avenger (Serial No.).

Grumman (General Motors) TBM-3 E Avenger (BuNo.).

Lockheed P-3A Orion (BuNo. 152169), c/n 185-5139.

(Author Photo)

McDonnell F-4N Phantom II (BuNo. 152291), c/n 1093.

North American SNJ-5B Texan (Serial No.).

(Mass Communication Specialist Joe Kane, USN Photo)

Sikorsky UH-3H Sea King Helicopter (BuNo. 148043), c/n 61021.  Outrider 50, also known as "Kekaha Town" lands at Ford Island to become part of the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor, 28 Aug 2006.

Sikorsky UH-3H Sea King Helicopter (BuNo. 152701), NF-611, c/n 61357.

(Author Photo)

Sikorsky CH-53D Sea Stallion (BuNo. 156964), c/n 65-211.

(Cpl. Reece Lodder, USMC Photo)

Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawk Helicopter (BuNo. 162102), TH-55, c/n 70-0392, an anti-submarine warfare helicopter "Easy Rider 60", being prepared for its final flight by sailors with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 37, from Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, 16 Nov 2010.  It was flown to Ford Island, where it was retired and permanently displayed at the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor.

Marine Corps Base Camp H. M. Smith

The Marine Corps Base at Camp H. M. Smith is named after Lt. Gen Holland M. “Howlin’ Mad” Smith.  Camp Smith was originally the site of Aiea Naval Hospital in 1942.  When the hospital was deactivated, its medical facilities were consolidated into Tripler AMC.  The site was acquired by the Marine Corps in 1955 for Fleet Marine Force Pacific, and dedicated in 1956 to Lt. Gen Smith, a pioneer of amphibious warfare techniques and the camp’s first commander.  In 1957 it became HQ Commander-in-Chief US Pacific Command.  In 1994, Marine Corps Base HI assumed operational responsibility for Camp Smith.  It serves as the nerve center for all US military forces in the region, and is the only Marine Corps installation supporting a unified commander (CinCPac).

There are no aircraft on display at Camp Smith, but the site has an access route to the Aiea Loop Trail, where the remains of Consolidated B-24J Liberator (Serial No. 44-40332) which crashed on 5 May 1944.

Fort DeRussy Army Museum, Honolulu

The Fort DeRussy Army Museum, Waikiki has the following helicopter on display:

(Author Photo)

Bell AH-1S Cobra Helicopter (Serial No. 67-15796), c/n 20460. This 1967-built G-model Cobra was reconfigured to the “S” model, and then restored to the AH-1S (Mod) with the TSU (Target Sighting Unit) on the nose and tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided (TOW) missile launchers.

Pacific Aerospace Museum, Honolulu

The Pacific Aerospace Museum is located inside Honolulu International Airport, 300 Rodgers Boulevard #7, Honolulu, Hawaii 96819-1897.  Tel: 808-839-077.

The Pacific Aerospace Museum has a variety of aerospace displays for the visitor to view.  There are interactive multi-media displays illustrating how a plane flies, where airlines fly from Hawaii, and how one designs aircraft.  There is also a first flight simulator where a flight instructor guides you through your first flight lesson in a single engine propeller aircraft over Honolulu International Airport.  If you have 15 minutes you can also partake in a multi-media show/gallery which illustrates the history of aviation in the Hawaiian Islands from the Polynesian voyagers to the attack on Pearl Harbor.  The attack is demonstrated by means of a computer display and model combination which teaches one exactly how the harbor was attacked.  This museum is a great place to spend time waiting before you have to board a flight leaving the island of Oahu.  Spacecraft on exhibit include an Apollo Mission Lunar Landing Display; Landsat Model; Landsat Image/Weather Display; Space Shuttle (Cockpit Mock-up); and a Space Station Mir/Buran Model. The Pacific Aerospace Museum is Hawaii’s only educational center dedicated to commemorating the aerospace achievements of the Pacific.  The museum offers “a fascinating look at the technology of tomorrow, as well as the pioneering exploits of the region’s past.”  The museum has an excellent audio-visual display of historical aviation events connected with Hawaii, as well as a number of “hands-on” exhibits, although there are no aircraft in it.  There is however, a General Electric J-47-13 jet engine of the type used in the F-86 Sabre, on display at the front entrance to the museum.  This engine was restored by members of the Hawaii Air National Guard.

Pearl Harbor Naval Complex

Pearl Harbor takes its name from the Polynesian wai momi, which means “water of pearl,” the name the ancient Hawaiians bestowed on the location after the pearl Oysters that once grew in the water there.

Pearl Harbor was established as a coaling station in 1902.  At 7:55 a.m. on 7 December 1941, Pearl Harbor came under attack by the forces of the Japanese Empire.  Today it is the site of the sunken hulk of the USS Arizona, which lies under 38’ of water in the harbor off Ford Island.

Pearl Harbor is the US Navy’s most important base in the Pacific.  More than 70 naval commands are based there, including the Naval Station, the Submarine Base, the Navy Shipyard, the Naval Supply Industrial Center, and other commands, making it the hub of activities for thousands of Navy personnel and their dependents in Hawaii.  The base is valued at more than $1.5 billion, and occupies over 12,500 acres of prime real estate just to the west of downtown Honolulu.  For more information write to: Public Affairs Office, Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Box 110 (Code 013), Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-5020, or call (808) 471-0281.[7]

(NMNA Photo)

U.S. Navy personnel inspect a damaged hangar at Naval Air Station Ford Island in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, December 1941.  A destroyed Vought OS2U Kingfisher is visible on the right, another OS2U of Observation Squadron VO-2 is worked on.

Warplanes preserved in the Pacific Aviation Museum on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, are presented on a separate page on this website.

Pearl Harbor

Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina, Reg. No. N24VP, ex-EC-FMC, ex-C-FIZZ, ex-EC-940.  Pacific Rim Catalinas.

(Raven Photo)

Chance Vought Regulus I (SSM-N-8) US Navy Cruise Missile, on display at the grounds of the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park.

Kauai

Douglas A-4E Skyhawk (BuNo. 151036), c/n 13206, 12, USMC.  Kauai Veteran's Museum.

[1] Dan Cragg, Guide to Military Installations,4th Edition, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 1994, p. 121.

[2] William R. Evinger, Editor, Directory of US Military Bases Worldwide, Third Edition, Oryx Press, 1998, p. 72.

[3] Dan Cragg, Guide to Military Installations, 4th Edition, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 1994, pp. 125-126.

[4] Ibid, pp. 125-126.

[5] William R. Evinger, Editor, Directory of US Military Bases Worldwide, Third Edition, Oryx Press, 1998, p. 74.

[6] Dan Cragg, Guide to Military Installations, 4th Edition, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA, 1994, pp. 128-129.

[7] Ibid, pp. 131-132.

USAAF Consolidated B-24J Liberator crash site, Aeia Loop, Hawaii

Consolidated B-24J Liberator wreckage at the crash site on Aeia Loop.

One morning I hiked along the rugged Aiea Loop mountain trail in search of the wreckage of an aircraft that I had first heard about the year before from a Marine on duty at Camp Smith, Oahu, Hawaii.  He was certain there was a downed Japanese Zero in the woods above the base.  I heard the story again from others on the island of Oahu, but it was the historians at base headquarters who set me straight.  There are at least 40 known aviation crash sites on the island, not including the sites where the 29 Japanese aircraft that were destroyed during the attack on Hawaii came down.  All 29 of the Japanese wrecks were recovered and sent to Australia for evaluation shortly after the attack, and therefore, none of the original attacking aircraft exist intact on the Islands of Hawaii.  The wreck over the hill turned out to be an American USAAF four engine Consolidated B-24J Liberator bomber.

On the morning of the 5th of May 1944, U.S. Army Air Corps Liberator (Serial No. 44-40332), piloted by 2nd Lieutenant Wayne R. Kimble, rolled down the runway of Hickam Field and took off.  Minutes later, the plane was a fiery wreck spread across a ridge in the hills above Aiea.  According to Ken Thompson, the details of the crash are not widely known.  The wreckage of the bomber lies on the edge of the Aiea Loop Trail at about the half-way point.  The remains of one wing are clearly visible wrapped against a tree, and this debris forms what is arguably Hawaii’s most widely known crash site.  The ten members of the B-24 crew included 2Lt Kimble; his co-pilot 2Lt. William E. Somsel Jr.; 2Lt Charles E. Mueller, the aircraft’s navigator; and the 2Lt Morris Righthand, the Liberator’s bombardier; and the gunners, Staff Sgt. Jack J. Dowd; Staff Sgt. Marion F. Norman; Sgt James H. Means; Cpl Manuel F. Campos; Cpl Gerald L. Weiss; and Cpl Joseph J. Carlucci. [1]

At the time of the crash, no stories appeared in any of the local papers informing the general public about the mishap.  In the interests of wartime security as well as concern for morale on the home front, military crashes and other accidents were largely unacknowledged.  Because of this, information about the crash of No. 44-40332 and the lives it claimed had been relegated to a short briefing file held by the Army Air Corps under the heading “brief of aircraft accident” field at the time of the incident.  Because of the scarcity of information on the aircraft, people still mistake it for a “Zero” or other Japanese aircraft, as I discovered myself.[2]

According to Ted Darcy, an airplane archeologist and owner of Wreckfinders Inc., Liberator (Serial No. 44-40332) was built by Consolidated Aircraft in San Diego, California.  After being accepted from the manufacturer in March 1944, it was flown to Tucson, Arizona, for final modifications.  2Lt Kimble took command of the aircraft on the 3rd of May 1944 to ferry it to Garbutt Field, Australia.  On that day, he and his crew flew the airplane to Fairfield Army Air Depot, California, to refuel for the flight to Hawaii.  The plane arrived at Hickam on the 4th of May, and was set for an early morning departure the next day.’  Shortly after 5 a.m. on the 5th of May, Kimble and his crew took off from a then-existing northbound runway at Hickam Field.  The flight plan called for a right turn shortly after take-off, eventually coming to a southerly heading.  On the morning of the flight, however, the turn was delayed.  It is not known if this was due to mechanical problems or pilot error.  By the time 2Lt Kimble initiated the turn, the Liberator did not have sufficient altitude to clear the rising ridgeline.  The aircraft’s wing caught the trees.  In the grim crash that followed, most of the airplane disintegrated into pieces against the southeast side of the ridge.  The fuel in the airplane’s tanks ignited, creating a local inferno that burned the plane and its occupants.  The results of the fire are apparent today due to the lack of older trees on the southeast side of the ridge and by the rough condition of the wreckage.  Other pieces of the aircraft, including a large chunk of wing seen along the trail, came to rest on the northwest side of the ridge, with the plane’s rear turret tumbling further down to a ravine on the northwestern side.  Researchers should take note, the edge of the trail is dangerously steep, and hikers are cautioned to stay on the trail.[3]

As Ken has stated, “the crew of Liberator (Serial No. 44-40332) may not have died as the direct result of hostile action, but they, too, deserve their…commemoration.  They too, and many others like them, gave the last full measure in the cause of freedom.”[4]

The wreck of a Douglas B-18 Bolo exists in the Kohala Mountains, Hawaii where it crashed in 1941.  Although stripped for parts (the nose turret was used in the restoration of Serial No. 37-029, preserved in the Castle Air Museum, Atwater, California), it may yet be recovered for display in Honolulu.

The B-24 crash-site was not the only one I found on the island.  Jane Griffiths at Camp Smith pointed the way to another site at the MCBH, Kaneohe, where a Japanese pilot met his end during the attack.  The story of the attack is well told in so many books on Pearl Harbor that I won't expand on it here, but suffice it to say that the plaque simply records: “Japanese Aircraft Impact Site, Pilot-Lieutenant Iida, IJN, Commander, Third Air Control Group, 7 December 1941.”

(IJN Photo, 7 Dec 1941, via the USN)

Vertical aerial view of "Battleship Row" at Pearl Harbor, beside Ford Island, soon after USS Arizona was hit by bombs and her forward magazines exploded. Photographed from a Japanese aircraft. Ships seen are (from left to right): USS Nevada; USS Arizona (burning intensely) with USS Vestal moored outboard; USS Tennessee with USS West Virginia moored outboard; and USS Maryland with USS Oklahoma capsized alongside. Smoke from bomb hits on Vestal and West Virginia is also visible. Japanese inscription in lower left states that the photograph has been reproduced under Navy Ministry authorization.

(IJN Photo, 7 Dec 1941, via the USN)

Torpedo planes attack "Battleship Row" at about 0800 on 7 December, seen from a Japanese aircraft. Ships are, from lower left to right: USS Nevada (BB-36) with flag raised at stern; USS Arizona (BB-39) with USS Vestal (AR-4) outboard; USS Tennessee (BB-43) with USS West Virginia (BB-48) outboard; USS Maryland (BB-46) with USS Oklahoma (BB-37) outboard; USS Neosho (AO-23) and USS California (BB-44). West Virginia, Oklahoma and California have been torpedoed, as marked by ripples and spreading oil, and the first two are listing to port. Torpedo drop splashes and running tracks are visible at left and center. White smoke in the distance is from Hickam Field. Grey smoke in the center middle distance is from the torpedoed USS Helena (CL-50), at the Navy Yard's 1010 dock. Japanese writing in lower right states that the image was reproduced by authorization of the Navy Ministry.

(IJN Photo, 7 Dec 1941, via the USN)

Vertical aerial view of "Battleship Row", beside Ford Island, during the early part of the horizontal bombing attack on the ships moored there. Photographed from a Japanese aircraft. Ships seen are (from left to right): USS Nevada ; USS Arizona with USS Vestal moored outboard; USS Tennessee with USS West Virginia moored outboard; USS Maryland with USS Oklahoma moored outboard; and USS Neosho, only partially visible at the extreme right. A bomb has just hit Arizona near the stern, but she has not yet received the bomb that detonated her forward magazines. West Virginia and Oklahoma are gushing oil from their many torpedo hits and are listing to port. Oklahoma's port deck edge is already under water. Nevada has also been torpedoed. Japanese inscription in lower left states that the photograph has been officially released by the Navy Ministry.

(USN Photo)

Panorama view of Pearl Harbor, during the Japanese raid on 7 December 1941, with anti-aircraft shell bursts overhead. The photograph looks southwesterly from the hills behind the harbor. Large column of smoke in lower right center is from the burning USS Arizona (BB-39). Smoke somewhat further to the left is from the destroyers Shaw (DD-373), Cassin (DD-372) and Downes (DD-375), in drydocks at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard.

(IJN Photo)

Photograph taken from a Japanese plane during the torpedo attack on ships moored on both sides of Ford Island shortly after the beginning of the Pearl Harbor attack. View looks about east, with the supply depot, submarine base and fuel tank farm in the right center distance. A torpedo has just hit USS West Virginia on the far side of Ford Island (center). Other battleships moored nearby are (from left): Nevada, Arizona, Tennessee (inboard of West Virginia), Oklahoma (torpedoed and listing) alongside Maryland, and California. On the near side of Ford Island, to the left, are light cruisers Detroit and Raleigh, target and training ship Utah and seaplane tender Tangier. Raleigh and Utah have been torpedoed, and Utah is listing sharply to port. Japanese planes are visible in the right center (over Ford Island) and over the Navy Yard at right. U.S. Navy planes on the seaplane ramp are on fire. Japanese writing in the lower right states that the photograph was reproduced by authorization of the Navy Ministry.

(USGOV-PD Photo)

Map of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 Dec 1941.  Note that dates/times of the Japanese fleet location are given as Japan time, not local. (e.g., Dec 8 shown is Dec 7 local time in Hawaii, and 0310 hrs shown is 0740 local.)

There are many other events that are recorded on plaques at the numerous historical sites on Hawaii.  At Wheeler Field one plaque proclaims “at 6:29 Hawaii standard time 29 June 1927, two US Army Air Corps First Lieutenants, Lester J Maitland and Albert Fhegenberger, first linked Hawaii to the US mainland by air when they landed their Fokker C-3 Trimotor here at Wheeler Field after flying 25 hours and 50 minutes from Oakland, California.”  Another plaque close by records, “after a 3 hour delay at 4:44 p.m. 11 January 1935, Amelia Earhart took off from Wheeler Field in her Lockheed Vega.  18 hours and 16 minutes later she landed in Oakland, California, thus becoming the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the mainland.  This also made her the first person to have flown solo across oceans.”

[1] Details have been extracted from an article in the Honolulu Star Bulletin, by Kenneth J. Thompson, a Marine at Camp Smith, 29 May 1944.

[2] Ibid, p. 1.

[3] Ibid, p. 1.

[4] Ibid, p. 1.

The purpose of this handbook is to provide aviation enthusiasts with a simple checklist on where to find the surviving retired military aircraft that are preserved in the state of Hawaii. The majority of the Hawaii Warbird Survivors are on display outdoors as gate guardians at Hickam, Wheeler and Kaneohe.

A number of volunteer organizations and museum staffs in Hawaii have done a particularly good job of preserving the great variety of American combat veteran aircraft, displayed here. Hopefully, as more aircraft are recovered from their crash sites or are restored, traded or brought back from private owners, they too will be added to the record. The handbook lists the aircraft on display in Hawaii alphabetically by manufacturer, number and type. This list is also appended with a brief summary of the aircraft presently preserved within the state and a bit of their history in the US military.

You can order this book on line here:

https://www.amazon.ca/Hawaii-Warbird-Survivors-2002-Handbook/dp/0595203795.

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