USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park

It’s a great way to spend an hour after seeing the USS Arizona Memorial. This is an extra $20 cost per person. The self-guided sub is the main attraction here, so avoid if you’re claustrophobic. It was tight with just two of us in it at a time. We did not experience the museums, but the bathrooms are great.

So much history in this WWII submarine! Incredible to imagine the brave crew members who lived on the USS Bowfin. The living quarters were so tight and every little available space was utilized. Thanks to the displays, you can almost picture the day to day activities.

Please visit and help support the Pacific Fleet museum to ensure the stories and artifacts are shared with generations to come.

Hats off to the sailors who served aboard these boats. The cramped quarters make you feel claustrophobic, and you're not even submerged. An excellent experience as part of your Pearl Harbour day. Try and go here early when crowds are smaller.

They don't allow purses - and don't let you in until you've discarded your purse (either in your car, or at the bag check $6-10 each). All boats to the USS Arizona were suspended due to dock repair. The USS Bowfin submarine was closed to visitors because it was headed to dry dock for repairs in 2 days, but the museum was open @ $22/person (no discount). The museum was interesting (not enough to snap any pix), and told many stories, but relatively dry - like most other museums.

Visited the first Friday in December. I had limited time due to the time constraints of being on a bus tour. Admission for 1 adult is $21.99, plus $1.54 "service fee." They will ask to see your proof of vaccination card and ID. I visited the museum first and found it to be excellent and informative with many exhibits and displays honoring the service and role of many of the US subs in service during the war. The exhibits included many operational details of sub patrols and battle flags honoring the many subs that served. Next, I visited the submarine itself and found it to be in excellent condition and well worth visiting. Be careful walking on or in the sub because there are many places you (or children) can trip and fall or hit your head going through the smaller sub doors. I spent less than an hour going through the museum and about 20-30 minutes on the sub itself, but I could have stayed longer if my time wasn't limited.

I got there after the Pearl Harbor Memorial tour and only had 30-min to visit this museum. The website said it closes at 5 p.m. but apparently they were closing at 4 p.m. due to COVID.

It's not a very big submarine and you can do it in 30-min easily.

My wife and two daughter weren't really in this museum so I went alone while they went shopping. If you're into submarines and WWII stuff, you'll love this museum.

The museum is very interesting and the tour with audio is worth the admission cost. The gift shop had many unique gifts. This is the only area with a food court in the shade. A real plus on a hot day.

We loved this self-guided tour of the Bowfin. I had no idea about the history of submarines in World War II and I learned so much. The free audio tour was very clever, when you walked through different places on the boat it started automatically. The sub is well preserved and you get a great feeling of what it must have been like to live and work on it in the past. I'd definitely recommend it, but if you have trouble walking or getting in and out of tight spaces, I would skip it and just tour the museum on land.

While we visited both the USS Bowfin and the USS Missouri, I would recommend the Submarine over the battleship if time or money is a factor. The Bowfin definitely gives you a feeling for the environment of the ships of the era. Bowfin is compact while the Missouri is “roomy” in comparison. Both are very impressive.

The USS Bowfin is part of the Pearl Harbor National Park displays & is worth taking in & doing the tour of the sub. Touring the sub gives you a great appreciation of what these men endured in very cramped quarters below the ocean & the hazards they were subjected to. You can pay to tour the Bowfin & either of the other Pearl Harbor displays Independantly, however I would suggest taking the park passport that basically gives you full access to all displays in the park. The park passport is $72 USD PP & is definitely worth it in my books & plan on spending the entire day at the park if you plan on seeing everything.