The USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park

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.

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