The Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum in Honolulu Hawaii has a great museum piece, a Balao type submarine, the USS Bowfin SS-287.
The Bowfin was laid down on 23 July 1942 and launched on 7 December 1942, exactly one year after the Japanese attack on Hawaii. She was commissioned on 1 May 1943 and her nickname was the Pearl Harbor Avenger.
During the Second World War the submarine was active in the Pacific and sailed nine patrols on silent service. She sank 14 ships and assisted in the sinking of one more. Unfortunately it sank an unmarked Japanese ship on its seventh patrol, the Tsushima Maru which had almost 1500 civilians on board including more than 750 schoolchildren, only 59 children survived. In the Balao Class the USS Bowfin was the 7th ship laid down and the 3rd vessel launched. The USS Bowfin has served as a floating museum for 23 years and was credited with sinking 44 enemy ships during the course of her nine war patrols
The USS Bowfin SS-287 served off and on from 7 December 1942 until 1 December 1971 when it was decommisend. She was restored in 2004 and is now open for the public to visit.
Visit
Check out the website for opening hours.
