Launched exactly one year after Pearl Harbor, the USS Bowfin became its avenging submarine.

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Commissioned in 1943, the USS Bowfin earned the nickname Pearl Harbor Avenger for her launch date and aggressive wartime record. Today, this Balao-class submarine serves as a centerpiece at the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum, offering a tangible connection to the intense underwater conflicts of the Second World War.

The USS Bowfin was laid down at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in July 1942 and launched on 7 December 1942, exactly one year after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This timing solidified her identity as the Pearl Harbor Avenger. Throughout the Second World War, she conducted nine war patrols, engaging in diverse combat operations that ranged from sinking enemy cargo ships and tankers to attacking small schooners with her 4-inch deck gun. Her patrols took her across the Pacific, including the dangerous, mine-laden waters of the Sea of Japan.

Her combat history was marked by both tactical successes and the grim realities of naval warfare. During her second patrol in November 1943, she sank several vessels, including the Ogurasan Maru and the Tainan Maru. However, her actions also resulted in civilian casualties, most notably the sinking of the transport Tsushima Maru in August 1944, which was carrying hundreds of schoolchildren. Postwar records often struggled to confirm every claim made by the crew, as many targets were small or disappeared in the chaos of battle, yet the submarine remained a celebrated vessel among naval leadership.

After the war, the Bowfin was decommissioned and placed in reserve, only to be reactivated for the Korean War in 1951. She was finally stricken from the Navy list in 1971. In 1972, efforts began to preserve her as a memorial, and she was eventually opened to the public in 1981 at Pearl Harbor. Today, the site functions as the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum, which underwent a $20 million renovation completed in 2021. The museum preserves the history of the United States Submarine Service, displaying artifacts and exhibits that honor the thousands of submariners lost during the war.

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