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Bowfin moored at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where it is now a museum.
Career
Builder:	Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine[1]
Laid down:	23 July 1942[1]
Launched:	7 December 1942[1]
Commissioned:	1 May 1943[1]
Decommissioned:	12 February 1947[1]
Recommissioned:	27 July 1951[1]
Decommissioned:	22 April 1954[1]
Recommissioned:	10 January 1960[1]
Decommissioned:	1 December 1971[1]
Struck:	1 December 1971[1]
Fate:	Museum ship in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii since 1 August 1979[2]
General characteristics
Class and type:	Balao-class diesel-electric submarine[2]
Displacement:	1,526 tons (1550 t) surfaced[2] 2,414 tons (2453 t) submerged[2]
Length:	311 ft 9 in (95.0 m)[2]
Beam:	27 ft 3 in (8.3 m)[2]
Draft:	16 ft 10 in (5.1 m) maximum[2]
Propulsion:	4 × General Motors Model 16-248 V16 diesel engines driving electrical generators[2][6] 2 × 126-cell Sargo batteries [3] 4 × high-speed General Electric electric motors with reduction gears[2] two propellers [2] 5,400 shp (4.0 MW) surfaced[2] 2,740 shp (2.0 MW) submerged[2]
Speed:	20.25 knots (37 km/h) surfaced[3] 8.75 knots (16 km/h) submerged[3]
Range:	11,000 nmi (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h)[3]
Endurance:	48 hours at 2 knots (4 km/h) submerged[3] 75 days on patrol
Test depth:	400 ft (120 m)[3]
Complement:	10 officers, 70–71 enlisted[3]
Armament:	10 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes  (six forward, four aft)  24 torpedoes [3] 1 × 4 in (102 mm) / 50 caliber deck gun [3] four machine guns

USS Bowfin (SS/AGSS-287), Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the bowfin, a fresh water fish of the eastern United States.

Bowfin was laid down by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at Kittery, Maine on 23 July 1942; launched on 7 December 1942 by Mrs. Jane Gawne, wife of Captain James O. Gawne.; and commissioned on 1 May 1943, Commander Joseph H. Willingham in command.

Bowfin departed New London, Conn., 1 July 1943 and arrived at Brisbane, Australia 10 August 1943. Between 16 August 1943 and 4 July 1945 she completed nine war patrols operating from the Netherlands East Indies to the Sea of Japan and the waters south of Hokkaidō. Bowfin sank 15 merchantmen and one frigate for a total of 68,032 tons. She also shared credit with Aspro (SS-309) for a 4,500-ton merchantman.

Bowfin sunk Tsushima Maru, an unmarked passenger/cargo vessel carrying schoolchildren, on her way from Okinawa to Kagoshima on August 21, 1944. 1,484 civilians including 767 schoolchildren were killed. [1]

Leaving Pearl Harbor 29 August 1945 Bowfin sailed to the east coast, arriving at Tompkinsville, N.Y., 21 September. She operated with the Atlantic Fleet until placed out of commission in reserve at New London, Conn., 12 February 1947.

Bowfin was decommissioned on 12 February 1947 and placed in reserve at New London in Connecticut, until recommissioned on 27 July 1951. She was decommissioned again on 22 April 1954 and placed in reserve at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. She was recommissioned on 10 January 1960 and served as a pierside trainer at Seattle, Washington. She was redesignated an Auxiliary Research Submarine, AGSS-287, in 1962.

On 1 December 1971, Bowfin was decommissioned for the final time and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register. She is preserved as a memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Self-guided audio tours are available for a nominal fee, which includes entry to an adjacent museum with numerous related artifacts.

Bowfin was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for her 2nd offensive war patrol and the Navy Unit Commendation for her 6th offensive war patrol and eight battle stars for her World War II. In addition, she was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

• The passenger-cargo ship Kirishima Maru on 25 September 1943
• The tanker Ogurasan Maru and cargo ship Tainan Maru on 26 November 1943^[4]
• The Vichy France cargo ship Van Vollenhoven on 26^[5] or 27 November 1943^[4]
• The passenger-cargo ship Sydney Maru and the 9,866-ton tanker Tonan Maru on 28 November 1943^[4]
• A pair of schooners she destroyed with her 4 inch gun on 30 November (1943)
• The cargo ship Shoyu Maru on 17 January 1944
• The cargo ship Tsukikawa Maru on 10 March 1944
• The cargo ships Shinkyo Maru and Bengal Maru on 24 March 1944
• The passenger-cargo ship Tsushima Maru on 22 August 1944
• Assisted Aspro (SS-309) in the sinking of the 4,500-ton cargo ship Bisan Maru on 14 May 1944
• The frigate Coastal Defense Vessel No. 56 on 17 February 1945
• The passenger-cargo ship Chowa Maru on 1 May 1945
• The cargo ship Daito Maru No. 3 on 8 May 1945
• The passenger-cargo ship Shinyo Maru No. 3 on 11 June 1945
• The cargo ship Akiura Maru on 13 June 1945

The sinking of Tsushima Maru was tragic, as that ship was evacuating more than 850 children to Nagasaki from Naha when it was sunk off the coast of Akusekijima Island.

A pier than contained a crane and a bus were also sunk at Minami Daito harbour on the sixth patrol of the Bowfin. A total of 13 small vessels were sunk by the Bowfin's deck guns.^[5]

• List of submarines of the United States Navy

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

USS Bowfin (SS-287)

• HNSA Web Page: USS Bowfin
• U.S. Submarines in World War II
• hazegray.org: USS Bowfin
• Photo gallery of Bowfin at NavSource Naval History.
• Sinkings by boat: USS Bowfin
• The USS Bowfin Museum and Park