Oahu, Hawaii

Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, and Battleship Row

In Girl in the Glass, Director Bowen’s team intercepts a Top-Secret report, revealing Declan’s true destination:

The transport manifest reports Naval Base San Diego as their destination. However, during a refueling stop at Ford Island, the detainee (Declan) will be secretly offloaded, and interrogation will take place at that time.

According to the report, the military is taking Declan to Ford Island, located in the center of Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu.

Honolulu and Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii

In the years leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Oahu was the most populous island of the Hawaiian Islands, which at the time wasn’t a state but a United States territory. The island's geography is characterized by two eroded shield volcanoes, forming parallel mountain ranges on its west and east, the most famous being Diamond Head, near the island’s most populous city, Honolulu, and its world-famous Waikiki Beach. Oahu is about half the size of Rhode Island.

Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii

Only 8 miles from Honolulu is Pearl Harbor. The natural harbor was originally called Wai Momi by the Hawaiians and was historically used for fishing. When the United States annexed Hawaii, the harbor’s potential as a strategic location made it an ideal location for a U.S. Naval base. Established in 1908, the base grew as Japan's power in the Pacific increased and, by 1940, led to the U.S. Pacific Fleet's relocation to Pearl Harbor. The naval base not only encompasses the land surrounding Pearl Harbor, it also includes the island in the middle of the harbor, Ford Island.

Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii

In Girl in the Glass, James arrives at Pearl Harbor looking for Professor Riordan on Ford Island.

James walked across the tarmac, weaving between the parked aircraft of Patrol Wing One, sweat dripping under his freshly pressed Vice Admiral’s uniform.

Located in the middle of Pearl Harbor, even prior to World War II, Ford Island was a strategic military base for the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Originally a sugarcane plantation, by the 1920s, there was a naval air station with hangars and barracks, supporting a growing fleet of aircraft and personnel. During the 1930s, Ford Island’s facilities were upgraded, and the airfield’s runway was extended to support larger aircraft.

As noted in Girl in the Glass, Patrol Wing 1 was stationed at Ford Island. The wing's primary mission was maritime patrol and reconnaissance, utilizing long-range aircraft to monitor the vast Pacific Ocean. Patrol Wing 1 operated various types of patrol aircraft, including flying boats and other long-range patrol planes.

Ford Island was also surrounded by some of Pearl Harbor’s deepest berths, making its shores ideal for the Pacific Fleet's largest battleships and cruisers, particularly concentrated in the area known as Battleship Row.

Battleship Row

In Girl in the Glass, after Declan meets with James, then Bruce, an officer drives the professor to the opposite end of Ford Island.

They approached several massive ships clustered along the shoreline, gentle waves lapping at the hulking gray behemoths rising above the harbor.

“We call this Battleship Row,” the officer explained, “it’s the deepest part of the harbor. Best spot for mooring these floating cities.”

Declan was ferried to the USS Tennessee, tied alongside the West Virginia and boxed between the Maryland and Arizona.

Battleship Row refers to the seven U.S. battleships moored together at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, during the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. These ships, the USS Arizona, California, Maryland, Nevada, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and West Virginia, were the primary targets of the Japanese air raid. Unfortunately for Declan, he’s there, aboard the USS Tennessee, when the Japanese attack takes place:

Declan raced to the deck where sailors were already gathering, watching a wave of Japanese Zeros whizz past Battleship Row. Chaos erupted, men shouting and running in all directions, preparing to defend their ship and lives. The professor promptly retreated to his cabin, realizing his best contribution would be staying out of everyone’s way. Complicating this plan were the multiple torpedoes tearing into the neighboring West Virginia’s hull.

By December 1941, Japan had already launched a full-scale invasion of China and occupied French Indochina. The United States responded by imposing embargoes on key resources like oil and freezing Japanese assets, and these sanctions put immense pressure on Japan's war machine. With diplomatic efforts failing, by October 1941, Japan began planning for a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, aiming to neutralize the American naval fleet in the Pacific.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese specifically targeted Battleship Row, where seven U.S. battleships were moored alongside Ford Island. Described by F.D. Roosevelt as a “Day that will live in infamy,” the USS Arizona suffered a catastrophic explosion after being struck by a bomb, leading to the loss of 1,177 sailors and marines and sinking the ship. The USS Oklahoma was hit by multiple torpedoes, capsizing in less than twelve minutes and trapping many crew members inside, leading to 429 deaths. The USS West Virginia and USS California were also sunk, although they were later refloated and returned to service after extensive repairs. In Girl in the Glass, Declan was knocked over by one of the 9 torpedoes that hit the West Virginia, and while the Tennessee was one of the least-damaged ships, there were 5 crew deaths. As the novel concludes, Bruce informs Embrie that one of the lost lives was Declan.