USS Bowfin

The USS Bowfin is a World War II-era Balao-class submarine preserved as a museum ship at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. It is displayed together with a shore-side museum that interprets submarine operations and Pacific war history.

The preserved submarine is open for guided and self-guided tours that pass through the boat’s crew compartments, control room and engine spaces, giving a close view of submarine architecture and daily life aboard a WWII submarine. The adjacent museum presents exhibits, artefacts and interpretive panels about the Bowfin’s wartime service and submarine warfare.

Built for service in World War II, the submarine conducted wartime patrols in the Pacific and was later decommissioned and converted to a museum vessel. It has been preserved at Pearl Harbor as part of the site that interprets the Pacific naval history of the 20th century.

Moored at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, the Bowfin is part of the cluster of historic sites and memorials that commemorate naval operations in the Pacific and is accessible from Honolulu’s Pearl Harbor visitor area.

• Museum location: is a World War II Balao-class submarine now preserved as a museum at Pearl Harbor, moored at the Pearl Harbor historic sites on Oahu, Hawaii.

What to See #

• USS Bowfin (the submarine): the preserved hull and internals of the Balao-class submarine open for public tours with arranged routes through crew compartments, control room and engine spaces.
• Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park: a land-side museum adjacent to the submarine that houses exhibits about submarine warfare, wartime history and the boat's service; the park includes interpretive displays and artefacts.