The
Bowfin is a fully restored World
War II era submarine and
submarine museum. It is located
next to the USS Arizona Memorial
at Pearl Harbor.
The USS Bowfin was
launched on December 7, 1942 and was soon
nicknamed the "Pearl Harbor
avenger" because of her remarkable
record of sinking 44 enemy ships. This
submarine has been fully restored and is
now open for public tours.
The tour takes you into all
parts of the Bowfin and offers a
great look at life on a submarine. Tour
highlights include the torpedo
tubes as well as the five
inch guns mounted on the Bowfin’s
deck. We were struck by the cramped
nature of the entire submarine, including
the captain’s quarters.
Accompanying the Bowfin is a
museum dedicated to submarine warfare. We
recommend that you visit the museum
before going onboard the Bowfin because the museum will help you put
things on the submarine in the proper
perspective. Some of the things you will
see in the museum include World War II recruiting
posters as well as a
cut-away scale
model of the Bowfin.
On the grounds of the museum are various
torpedoes (disarmed, of course!). Two
that really caught our eye were a Harpoon
Cruise Missile as well as a one-man
Japanese suicide
torpedo.
We highly recommend a stop at the Bowfin when you are visiting the USS
Arizona Memorial at
Pearl Harbor. The admission charges are a
bit pricey, but are easier to take if you
remember that there was no charge at the Arizona.
Unlike the Arizona, which is
maintained at the taxpayers’ expense
by the United States Park Service, the Bowfin is managed by the Pacific Fleet Submarine
Memorial Association, a private
non-profit organization. The admission
charges and other revenues generated by
the Bowfin go toward maintaining
the submarine and the museum.
Getting There The Bowfin is docked right next to the
Visitors’ Center for the USS
Arizona Memorial. From Honolulu,
take highway H1 west past the airport.
Get out at the Arizona Memorial
exit (exit 15B) and follow the signs to
the Arizona Memorial
Visitors’ Center. The Memorial and
the Bowfin are a few miles from
the exit, so be sure to follow the signs
carefully. If you prefer to use public
transportation, city bus #20, which you
can pick up in Honolulu, will take you to
the Visitors’ Center in about an
hour.
BOOK
AN ACTIVITY
Make the most of your time in the islands
by booking your vacation activities now! Click here
to get tickets to tours, attractions and
hundreds of other Hawaii activities.
