 The Navy decided that a Hawaiian base was a necessity , considering the Army field at Ford Island an ideal candidate . Naval Air Station Pearl Harbor , consisting of nine officers and fifty @-@ five men , was commissioned on December 19 , 1919 . Although the Navy attempted to displace the Army from the island and designate it solely for naval use , U.S. Secretary of War Newton D. Baker divided the island equally between the military branches . The Army received the west side of the island , and the Navy the southeastern side . Lieutenant Commander Robert D. Kirk @-@ Patrick was sent to establish a naval station on the island with four airplanes and fifty @-@ five men . Kirk @-@ Patrick 's men had two Curtiss <unk> flying boats and two N @-@ 9 planes salvaged from World War I , which they stored in two large canvas hangars across the harbor from the island . After the naval hangars were commissioned on January 17 , 1923 , by Lieutenant Commander John Rodgers , the detachment moved onto Ford Island and received Naval Aircraft Factory TS , Felixstowe <unk> , Curtiss H @-@ 16 , Keystone PK @-@ 1 and Douglas DT type aircraft . To accommodate ship berthing the Navy built a concrete @-@ and @-@ stone quay around the entire island , and in 1926 , they received Vought FU , Vought VE @-@ 7 and Vought VE @-@ 9 biplanes . 
