OtherUS Naval Station Luke Field Ford Island Hawaii
Cachets should be listed in chronological order based on earliest known usage. Use the postmark date or best guess. This applies to add-on cachets as well.
LUKE FIELD, Ford Island, Hawaii
Captain John Curry came to Hawaii on February 13, 1914 to command the 6th Aero Squadron located at Fort Kamehameha. On 25 September 1917 the 6th Aero Squadron abandoned Fort Kamehameha and moved to the new airfield on Ford Island. The station was officially renamed Luke Field in 1919 after World War I fighter pilot Frank Luke who was killed in action over the Western Front. This airfield was jointly used by the US Army Air Corps and the US Navy.
By the end of 1935 there were so many planes stationed at Luke Field that the military negotiated a deal where the Navy would get Ford Island, and the Army would construct a new air base across the harbor at what would become Hickam Field. By the end of 1940 the move of Army personnel from Luke Field to Hickam Field was complete. On 7 December 1941, 33 of the 70 aircraft on the ground at Ford Island were destroyed by the Japanese attack. Despite this the air base remained operational throughout the attack and World War II.
In 1962, the Navy officially deactivated Ford Island as an air base.
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Luke Field Postmark
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1937-03-02 |
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Postmark |
Note:
Luke Field Covers
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1937-03-02 |
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Soldiers mail |
From the Lloyd Ferrell collection.
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N/A |
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1937-06-04 |
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Soldiers mail |
From the Lloyd Ferrell collection.
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N/A |
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1937-07-13 |
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Soldiers mail |
From the Lloyd Ferrell collection.
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