Fodor's Expert Review Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum
A new and expanded Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum opened in 2021 after a $20 million renovation. Its centerpiece is the USS Bowfin, which launched one year to the day after the Pearl Harbor attack and which claimed to have sunk 44 enemy ships during World War II. Like the Arizona Memorial, the so-called Pearl Harbor Avenger commemorates the lost, but the mood here is lighter. Perhaps it's the childlike scale of the boat, a metal tube just 16 feet in diameter and packed with ladders, hatches, and other obstacles, like the naval version of a jungle gym.
Compartments aboard the vessel are fitted out as though "Sparky" is away from the radio room just for a moment and "Cooky" might be back to his pots and pans any minute. Among the intriguing artifacts is a vintage dive suit known as JAKE that looks too big for Shaquille O'Neal and is now in the gift shop window. A guided audio tour is included with admission to this privately operated museum. A snack bar is also on-site.
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A new and expanded Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum opened in 2021 after a $20 million renovation. Its centerpiece is the USS Bowfin, which launched one year to the day after the Pearl Harbor attack and which claimed to have sunk 44 enemy ships during World War II. Like the Arizona Memorial, the so-called Pearl Harbor Avenger commemorates the lost, but the mood here is lighter. Perhaps it's the childlike scale of the boat, a metal tube just 16 feet in diameter and packed with ladders, hatches, and other obstacles, like the naval version of a jungle gym.
Compartments aboard the vessel are fitted out as though "Sparky" is away from the radio room just for a moment and "Cooky" might be back to his pots and pans any minute. Among the intriguing artifacts is a vintage dive suit known as JAKE that looks too big for Shaquille O'Neal and is now in the gift shop window. A guided audio tour is included with admission to this privately operated museum. A snack bar is also on-site.
For safety reasons, children under four are not allowed aboard the submarine, though they can visit the museum. You can also purchase shuttle tickets to access the USS Oklahoma Memorial at the Bowfin's ticket counter, though you'll probably want to include that stop with a visit to the USS Missouri or the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, both of which are on Ford Island along with the sunken Oklahoma submarine.
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