The submarine was nicknamed 'Avenger': 3 years of submerging 44 enemy ships, changing into a museum

The submarine was nicknamed 'Avenger': 3 years of submerging 44 enemy ships, changing into a museum Picture 1

USS Bowfin-class Balao submarines

One of the 120 Balao-class submarines, the USS Bowfin was launched on December 7, 1942 - that is, a year after Japan's destructive attack on Pearl Harbor.

Nicknamed "Pearl Harbor Avenger", this submarine successfully completed its mission by sinking numerous enemy ships. This is one of the few surviving submarines of the United States after World War II.

The submarine was nicknamed 'Avenger': 3 years of submerging 44 enemy ships, changing into a museum Picture 2

The Japanese Kirishima Maru was sunk by USS Bowfin during the first patrol, which lasted from August 25 to October 10, 1943.

The ship's main armament consists of 10 533 mm torpedo tubes, 102 mm deck machine guns, 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft machine guns and two 12.7 mm machine guns.

The submarine was nicknamed 'Avenger': 3 years of submerging 44 enemy ships, changing into a museum Picture 3

Journey of the first patrol of the USS Bowfin

During World War II, USS Bowfin made a total of 9 patrols to the South China Sea, the Philippines, Indonesia and the islands of Japan - where it was tasked with hunting Japanese transport ships and goods.

The submarine was nicknamed 'Avenger': 3 years of submerging 44 enemy ships, changing into a museum Picture 4

145 crew members of the USS Bowfin in 1945

During service, the submarine USS Bowfin sank 44 enemy ships with a total tonnage of nearly 68,000 tons. In August 1945, while on her way to the tenth mission, the crew of USS Bowfin received a message about the Japanese surrender and returned to Hawaii. By February 1947, USS Bowfin was decommissioned and moved to the "resort" area.

The submarine was nicknamed 'Avenger': 3 years of submerging 44 enemy ships, changing into a museum Picture 5

The USS Bowfin during the Soviet Union War in 1951

In 1951, after the Korean War broke out, the USS Bowfin was returned to service and was always present at the exercises in San Diego, California for the next two years. When the inter-Korean war ended, the USS Bowfin submarine was put in reserve.

The submarine was nicknamed 'Avenger': 3 years of submerging 44 enemy ships, changing into a museum Picture 6

The USS Bowfin has been at a train training center in Seattle (Washington) for 10 years

From 1960 to 1971, USS Bowfin was taken to Seattle (Washington) to be a training submarine. Subsequently, the submarine would have been nearly scraped into scrap metal without the intervention of former Navy admiral Bernard Clary.

The submarine was nicknamed 'Avenger': 3 years of submerging 44 enemy ships, changing into a museum Picture 7

The USS Bowfin at Pearl Harbor was removed from service on 1 September 1971

In 1972, he called on the US Navy commander to buy the USS Bowfin, transformed into a monument to the American submarine force and located at Pearl Harbor.

The submarine was nicknamed 'Avenger': 3 years of submerging 44 enemy ships, changing into a museum Picture 8

Torpedo room on board

Seven years later, the Pacific Submarine Fleet Memorial Association purchased the submarine USS Bowfin from the US Navy and shipped it to Hawaii. With the help of military and civilian volunteers, they restored the submarine to turn it into a museum. In April 1981, the USS Bowfin Museum welcomed its first guests.

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Tourists are visiting the USS Bowfin on June 27, 1986

The guided audio tour lasts about half an hour. You will hear crew members tell stories about wartime living and working conditions on submarines, see various artifacts, such as recruitment posters, military flags and dance patterns. gas. The most impressive of these is the Poseidon, a ballistic missile that has fired with all its electronic circuits on display.

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An inside corner of the USs Bowfin ship on March 11, 2001

Today, the USS Bowfin submarine "Avenger of Pearl Harbor" (located near the Arizona warship monument) has become the central artifact of Bowfin museum and park. Visitors can visit the submarine on all days of the year except for major holidays: Christmas, New Year and Thanksgiving.