Private USS Bowfin Captain’s Tour

Hosted by a retired US Submarine Captain, this incredible tour takes you and your family on an exclusive tour of the USS Bowfin Submarine and of the WWII Submarine Waterfront Memorial.

USS Bowfin Submarine:  The USS Bowfin Submarine was launched December 7, 1942, exactly one year after the attack on Pearl Harbor and was nicknamed the “Pearl Harbor Avenger”. Credited for sinking 44 major ships on nine war patrols, the USS Bowfin fulfilled its nickname and became one of the most decorated submarines of World War II.

The USS Bowfin (SS-287) provides visitors with a rare glimpse at life on a submarine during World War II and has such incredible stories to share.  It is considered the best preserved and most visited submarine that served in WWII.  This Balao-Class Submarine was relatively intact when the Navy turned her over to the Pacific Submarine Museum Association in 1979, unlike many of her sister ships which were scrapped or used for target practice by other naval vessels.  That means the USS Bowfin still bears most of her original equipment.  

WWII Submarine Waterfront Memorial:  This Memorial is located shoreside, along-side the USS Bowfin and features 52 markers with the names of 3,600 U.S. submariners who gave their lives in service to their country during WWII.  Each plaque tells the story of a different WWII submarine, its war missions and the crew that was lost. Although the submarine service was the smallest military unit, they made the greatest sacrifice in terms of loss of life — one in five of the nearly 18,000 crewmembers who went into battle never returned to port. 

Kaiten – A Kamikaze Suicide Manned Torpedo – USS Bowfin Park is host to the only authentic WWII Kaiten on display in the United States. Hundreds of these Kaitens were built at the end of the second world war by the Japanese to defend their homeland. Learn how these suicide torpedoes worked and how the Japanese stationed hundreds of these Kaitens along their coastline to sink large US ships. 

This is a chance in a lifetime to spend time with an actual retired captain of a US nuclear submarine and hear the stories of WWII, and how the current and future submarines will conduct undersea warfare.

Pricing:

Tour Price (1 to 6 people): $1,450.00

 

Availability and Schedule:

Available Mondays through Fridays

An approximately 4-hour tour

Pickups are available from all Waikiki and Kahala Hotels, Cruise Ship Terminals, or from the Honolulu International Airport