Submarines in History: USS Bowfin becomes a Museum Boat

Bowfin leaving on her first War Patrol (Photo from NavSource)

On August 3 1979 the Bowfin (SS-287) was donated as a museum and memorial to the Pacific Fleet Submarine Memorial Association, Inc., Honolulu, HI.

Launched on the first anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Bowfin completed nine war patrols in two years of wartime duty. Bowfin was one of the top-scoring U.S. submarines of World War II, credited with sinking 16 Japanese vessels, with a total tonnage of 67,882 tons,along with a dock, crane and bus.

Bowfin's Battle Flag (Photo from NavSource)

On her second patrol, in November 1943, Bowfin sank 12 vessels, although only five were officially credited to the boat. Rear Admiral Ralph W. Christie, Commander of the U.S. Submarine Force, Southwest Pacific, lauded Bowfin's crew's achievement saying "They fought the war from the beginning to the end of the patrol." In further recognition, Bowfin was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for this patrol.

Admiral Christie wanted to personally see how his submariners were doing their assigned tasks, so he joined Bowfin for part of her third war patrol, becoming the only U.S. Flag Officer to be aboard a submarine during combat.

For her wartime service, Bowfin was also awarded the Navy Unit Commendation and the Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation for work she did sinking enemy ships, laying mines, rescuing downed aviators, and supplying Philippine guerrilla troops.

After World War II, Bowfin left Pearl Harbor for active duty with the Atlantic Fleet. Bowfin was inactivated (out of commission, in reserve) in 1947, reactivated for the Korean War, and then inactivated again in 1954.

Bowfin in Seattle's Lake Union, 1971 (Photo from Museum of Science and Industry, Seattle)

In 1960 she replaced USS Puffer as a Naval Reserve training boat in Seattle, Washington, serving there until her final decommissioning in 1971.

Today, Bowfin is back at Pearl Harbor berthed at USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park. The park, located next to the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center, incorporates a museum, outdoor exhibits, and a waterfront memorial to the 52 U.S. submarines lost during World War II.

USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, Pearl Harbor (Photo from NavSource)

USS Bowfin was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986. You can read more about Bowfin at the Museum's website.