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USS Bowfin Memorial Review

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USS Bowfin Memorial

Address: 11 Arizona Memorial Dr., at Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, HI | Map It
Phone: 808/423-1341
www.bowfin.org

Category: Military Sites, Memorials/Monuments
Location: Honolulu

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Fodor's Review:

Launched one year to the day after the Pearl Harbor attack, the USS Bowfin sank 44 enemy ships during WWII and now serves as the centerpiece of a museum honoring all submariners. Although the Bowfin no less than the Arizona Memorial commemorates the lost, the mood here is lighter. Perhaps it's the child-like scale of the boat, a metal tube just 16 feet in diameter, packed with ladders, hatches, and other obstacles, like the naval version of a jungle gym. Perhaps it's the World War II-era music that plays in the covered patio. Or it might be the Museum's touching displays—the penciled sailor's journal, the Vargas girlie posters. Aboard the boat nick-named Pearl Harbor Avenger, compartments are fitted out as though "Sparky" was away from the radio room just for a moment, and "Cooky" might be right back to his pots and pans. The museum includes many artifacts to spark family conversations, among them a vintage dive suit that looks too big for Shaquille O'Neal. A caution: the Bowfin could be hazardous for very young children; no one under 4 allowed.

Cost: $10 adults, $3 children. Add $2 for audio tours. Children under 4 may go into the museum but not aboard the Bowfin.
Open: Daily 8-4:30

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