USS Bowfin, World War II submarine museum at Pearl Harbor, United States.
The USS Bowfin is a Balao-class submarine displayed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Its light grey upper hull carries a row of oval openings, with a black lower section visible above the water. A tall conning tower with two masts rises forward, and a deck structure with railings, a small gun and a life ring sits before it.
Bowfin was laid down at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, on 23 July 1942 and launched on 7 December 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Jane Gawne. She was commissioned on 1 May 1943 under Commander Joseph H. Willingham and reached Australian waters that August. On her sixth patrol, on 22 August 1944, she torpedoed the Japanese transport Tsushima Maru, which was carrying 1,484 civilians including 787 schoolchildren being evacuated from Okinawa.
The boat is named for the bowfin, a freshwater fish of the eastern United States, not a Hawaiian species. Since 1981 it has been open for tours at the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum, beside the USS Arizona Memorial visitor center. Look for the life ring and deck gun on the hull.
Access through the submarine involves tight corridors and multiple levels, requiring sturdy footwear and careful movement. Visitors should prepare to climb stairs and navigate small compartments throughout the visit.
Bowfin's sixth patrol brought the sinking of Tsushima Maru on 22 August 1944; the transport was carrying 1,484 civilians, among them 787 schoolchildren being evacuated from Okinawa. The submarine's crew counted four ships sunk in that night attack near Suwanose Island.
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