LivingTravelUSS Bowfin Underwater Park and Museum

USS Bowfin Underwater Park and Museum

The USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park opened in 1981 next to the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center in Pearl Harbor.

The submarine and museum are just a 2-3 minute walk from the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center.

The Park’s mission was and continues to be “to restore and preserve the WWII submarine USS Bowfin (SS-287) and submarine-related artifacts on (the) grounds and in the Museum.”

USS Bowfin Park’s parent organization, the Pacific Fleet Submarine Memorial Association (PFSMA), is a non-profit group that, unlike the nearby National Park, receives no state or federal funding. The maintenance costs of the museum and the submarine depend on your small admission charges.

USS Bowfin (SS-287)

The USS Bowfin is the centerpiece of the museum, a fitting location for the submarine that had been launched a year after the attack on Pearl Harbor and dubbed “The Avenger of Pearl Harbor.” The USS Bowfin was launched on December 7, 1942 and completed nine successful war patrols. For his wartime service he also earned both the Presidential Unity Citation and the Navy Unity Citation.

The Bowfin is the best preserved and most visited submarine that served in WWII. In 1986, the Bowfin was named a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior. Since its opening, millions of visitors have taken the self-guided or audio tour of the ship.

The museum

Adjacent to the Bowfin is a 10,000-square-foot museum displaying an impressive collection of submarine-related artifacts, such as underwater weapon systems, photographs, paintings, battle flags, original recruitment posters, and detailed underwater models, all illustrating the story. of the U.S. Submarine Service.

Exhibits include a Poseidon C-3 missile that allows visitors to examine its inner workings. It is the only one of its kind that is on public display.

The museum also offers a 40-seat mini-theater that shows submarine-related videos.

Waterfront Memorial

Inside Bowfin Park is a public memorial honoring the 52 American submarines and the more than 3,500 submariners lost during World War II.

There were many heroes who served in WWII on land and at sea, but the true unsung heroes of the War were the men who served in the Silent Service, the submariners. Confined for months at a time in a terrifying little craft with poor air, excessive heat, and innumerable dangers from above and below the sea, scuba divers were a rare breed of men. The men were not recruited into the submarine corps. They were all volunteers.

Of the 52 submarines that were lost in WWII, many were lost on surface ships, some on airplanes, and some on mines. Many were lost with all hands on board and sit today at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Photos

Check out our gallery of 36 photos taken at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park.

Additional Information

If you are interested in learning more about the USS Bowfin and its nine war patrols from August 1943 to August 1945, I recommend the following:

Bowfin by Edwin P. Hoyt
This 234 book is the most detailed history of any submarine that served in the Pacific during World War II. It recounts the construction of the ship and narrates each of its nine war patrols. The book is available in the Museum’s gift shop, as well as online.

USS Bowfin – Pearl Harbor Avenger (History Channel)
This is an excellent 50 minute documentary that recently aired on The History Channel.

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