Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum

Previously known as the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park, the newly reimagined Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum is home to numerous museum exhibits that tell the history of the United States Navy’s submarine force. It’s also the permanent home of the USS Bowfin, a famed World War II-era fleet attack submarine. The Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum is located at Pearl Harbor, just steps from the Pearl Harbor National Memorial and the site from where tours to the USS Arizona Memorial depart.

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Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum History

The centerpiece of the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum is the USS Bowfin. This remarkable submarine was commissioned to be built at the Portsmouth Navy Yard just a single week after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. A mere year later it was complete and ready to be deployed. It went on its first patrol mission in August of 1943. In all, it would go on nine war patrol missions over the course of the next two years. During that time, it sank dozens of enemy ships and earned the nickname “The Pearl Harbor Avenger.”

Visitors to the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum today will have the opportunity to tour this famous vessel, which checks in at over 300 feet in length. In its day, it carried two-dozen torpedoes at a time, and was typically staffed by an approximately 80-person crew.

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What’s at the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum

The Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum was recently renovated, expanded, and redesigned to feature three distinctive galleries, each one focusing on a different aspect of the United States’ submarine force. The World War II gallery focuses on the pivotal role the Navy’s submarine force played as part of the naval campaign waged across the Pacific front. Highlights of the WWII gallery include the USS Bowfin’s original bell, a wall of replica submarine battle flags created and flown by crewmembers during the time period, and various exhibits on how specific ships worked, ran, and operated.

The Cold War Gallery tells the story of how submarines evolved throughout the middle decades of the twentieth century when tensions ran highest between the United States and the Soviet Union. Exhibits in this gallery explain how the revolution in nuclear power led to submarines featuring nuclear propulsion. They also feature technical artifacts real submarine Maneuvering Room control panels, and a whole lot more. The Modern Gallery makes the case for the continued importance of a strong submarine force today and into the future.

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There are numerous outdoor exhibits on display at the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum, too. The museum’s Waterfront Memorial pays tribute to the 52 submarines and approximately 3,600 crewmembers lost during World War II. Installed nearby are such pieces of history as Regulus I, a Cold War-era nuclear-armed, turbojet-powered cruise missile; the conning tower of the USS Parche; and a McCann submarine rescue chamber.

The Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum gift shop sells an assortment of items related to the USS Bowfin, the United States Navy, and Pearl Harbor. You’ll find here a wide selection of clothing, magnets, keychains, books, toys, and other commemorative items that will make great souvenirs to take home with you.

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Tips for Visiting the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum

*Children under the age of four years old may enter the grounds of the museum for free. However, due to safety concerns they are not allowed to board the submarine.

*All tours of the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum are self-guided, and come with complimentary audio guides available in your choice of seven languages: English, Spanish, German, Japanese, French, Korean, and Mandarin. You’ll also have your pick of two versions of the audio guide: one designed for consumption by adults; the other tailored for families visiting the attraction with small children.

*Be advised that visitors are prohibited from bringing any type of bag into the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum (this is the case at all Pearl Harbor historic sites). This policy extends to all manner of backpacks, purses, luggage, diaper bags, and more. The museum, however, does offer guests the opportunity to store their bags securely; the cost is $7 per regular-sized bag, and $10 for oversized bag. Its not official but I have seen many people walk in with small clear bags (1-2 quart sized) like the ones people bring to concert venues.

*Those visitors hoping to grab something to eat while touring the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum will be happy to learn that the attraction now hosts Jake’s Food Truck each day between the hours of 10:00am and 2:30pm. There are also several vending machines located throughout the site.

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