USS Bowfin Back On Display

Above, the USS Bowfin on display at Pearl Harbor in 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The USS Bowfin, a World War II era submarine, is back on display and tours after being drydocked for maintenance in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

According to Travel Weekly:

Following a month of dry dock maintenance work, the USS Bowfin has returned to the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum at Pearl Harbor, and tours will reopen today.

"We are very excited for the return of the USS Bowfin to our campus and look forward to reopening her to the public," said museum executive director Chuck Merkel in a press release.

To read more, go here. 

Pearl Harbor's USS Bowfin Now In Drydock

Above, the USS Bowfin in 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of several attractions visitors to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, along with the battleships USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri, is the submarine USS Bowfin. 

As of Saturday, the USS Bowfin is now in drydock for regular maintenance.

According to Travel Weekly:

A popular visitor site at Pearl Harbor, the USS Bowfin World War II submarine, went into dry dock Saturday and won't be back until Nov. 1. 

The submarine will be towed to a shipyard for scheduled maintenance and repair work, which is conducted every 15 to 20 years. The last time it underwent repair work was in 2004.

To read more, go here.

Cheap and Affordable Things To Do In Hawaii

Above, hiking at Diamnd Head Trail is number 10 on the list. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Hawaii is known to be expensive, but it doesn't have to be if one knows where to look.

The Travel has posted a list of 10 things to do in Hawaii that won't break the bank (i.e., your wallet). 

I am surprised that the USS Arizona Memorial is not included in the list. Admission to the Memorial is free, but limited to 13,000 tickets per day. Other Pearl Harbor attractions do charge admission, such as the USS Missouri battleship and the USS Bowfin submarine.

They begin with:

Hawaii is known for its picturesque beaches, mesmerizing terrains, and unique culture. But it is becoming more and more expensive to live and travel to than the rest of the states in the country. However, there are always ways to enjoy Hawaii without having to break the bank if every tourist knows where to look. Here is a list of things to do in Hawaii that are budget-friendly for tourists.

To read more, go here. 

Things To See At Pearl Harbor

Above, the battleship USS Missouri and the battleship USS Arizona Memorial. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since next Tuesday marks the 80th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941, many will be attending the commemoration at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Above, the submarine USS Bowfin. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Along with tours of the battleship USS Arizona Memorial, the battleship USS Missouri and the submarine USS Bowfin, there is a visitor center operated by the National Park Service that has a theater that shows a film on the attack and a bookstore . When I visited it in 2016, I bought several books on the attack. 

The visitor center has displays on the attack including actual artifacts from it.

Here's some photos of what visitors can expect to see inside the Visitor Center:

Above, Aloha Court outside of the visitor center. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, "Road To War" display. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, model of one of the Japanese carriers involved in the attack. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the Japanese code words signaling the attack. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above a mural of a Japanese torpedo bomber. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a Japanese torpedo bomber model. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a model of the USS Arizona Memorial. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

USS Bowfin At Pearl Harbor Reopened

Above, the USS Bowfin at Pearl Harbor. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The following was announced last Wednesday (November 4).

The announcement concerns the USS Bowfin, a World War II era submarine that is docked at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Hawaii Magazine reported:

More than a month after the Pearl Harbor National Memorial on Oʻahu reopened to the public, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park said it is reopening to the public on Friday.

The popular visitor attraction has been closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March.

“We’ve taken advantage of the closures this year to make a number of improvements to our campus and we look forward to welcoming the public,” said Chuck Merkel, executive director of the Pacific Fleet Submarine Memorial Association.

Some of those improvements include new interpretive signs for all of the outside exhibits, an outdoor play area for kids and a big “hull ring” that greets visitors at the campus entrance that compares the diameter of World War II submarines to today’s much larger nuclear subs.

In addition to these new additions, new safety guidelines are in place: All visitors must wear face coverings and practice social distancing and tickets must be purchased online in advance of your visit.

To read more, go here. 

USS Bowfin At Pearl Harbor

Above, visitors on deck of the USS Bowfin. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Pearl Harbor will be garnering attention in a few days as President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be paying a visit there.

Along with the battleship USS Arizona Memorial and the battleship USS Missouri, there is another vessel that visitors can tour.

It is the submarine USS Bowfin. It is located near the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.

Above, the USS Bowfin. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

According to the website, Pearl Harbor Historic Sites:

Launched one year to the day after the events of December 7, 1941, the submarine USS Bowfin, dubbed the "Pearl Harbor Avenger," completed nine successful patrols before eventually arriving at her final, peacetime berth in the waters of Pearl Harbor. 

Like her namesake - a scrappy, mean-looking fish with powerful jaws, sharp teeth, and a voracious appetite - the Bowfin proved to be a formidable underwater adversary, sinking 44 enemy ships during the war. Today, the Bowfin is a National Historic Landmark and museum ship where visitors from all over the world are able to experience what it was like to live and work aboard a World War II-era sub.

Above, the USS Bowfin from the Waterfront Submarine Memorial. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For more information on the Bowfin, go here.