FORD ISLAND — The utilitarian hallway lined with doors was what you'd expect to find in the old warehouse that at one time had been converted for Navy classroom use.

Through one door, however, was the bridge of a destroyer with a view out 13 big wrap-around windows of stormy 20-foot seas, an aircraft carrier to starboard and Pearl Harbor in the distance.

When the ship went into a 20-degree roll as the winds whipped outside, the corresponding tilt on the semi-circular projection screen — which provides a 270-degree view — made it seem as though the bridge was in motion.

"It's about as realistic as you can get in a simulator," said Lt. Bob Arias, who's with Afloat Training Group Middle Pacific.

The new $1 million ship-handling simulator is so realistic, it even has a name: the USS Koa Kai.

The Navy, recognizing the value of simulation to gain proficiency and avoid ship collisions or groundings, is bringing the Navigation, Seamanship and Shiphandling Trainers to seven locations: Pearl Harbor; Everett, Wash.; Mayport, Fla.; Sasebo and Yokosuka, Japan; San Diego; and Norfolk, Va.

A blessing and ribbon-cutting was held yesterday for the Ford Island simulator, which can replicate anything from a frigate to an aircraft carrier.

Capt. Dell Epperson, commodore of Afloat Training Group Middle Pacific, said the Navy has had a ship simulator capability for some time in key locations like Newport, R.I., where officer training is conducted, and in San Diego and Norfolk fleet concentration areas.

"But for anybody else who were stationed at a place like Pearl Harbor or Japan, Mayport or Everett, Wash., in those places you had to go to one of the other locations to use that (simulator)," Epperson said. "And frankly, it wasn't as sophisticated as what we're capable of doing now. So that's what's so huge about this particular event — now we're pushing it out to all fleet concentration areas."

Lt. (j.g.) Jenna Raunig, 27, from New Lenox, Ill., who was acting as conning officer in the simulator and previously served on the cruiser USS Port Royal and destroyer USS Russell, said the sea states and land masses are pretty realistic.

"All the visuals match up," she said.

Epperson said a ship's captain may need to visit Hong Kong on a future deployment, but nobody on his bridge team has navigated the harbor before, "so he comes over here and we load up the Hong Kong scenario."

The 11 surface ships home-ported at Pearl Harbor will be able to use the simulator, and the cruisers Chosin and Port Royal have mini-versions of the simulator on board to practice approach scenarios.

Arias said the simulator "gives us the ability to go more in-depth in our training rather than just talking about it. Here, if we bump a pier or we bump another ship, no harm, no foul. Better do it here than out to sea."

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.