Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum

The Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum at Pearl Harbor (USS Bowfin) is an IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization formed in 1978. PFSMA was created with the purpose of preserving and sharing the stories of submarine veterans. Due to the secretive nature of submarine warfare and the advanced technologies employed, the stories of submarine veterans are at great risk of being lost to history.To accomplish this mission, PFSMA acquired the USS Bowfin, a Balao-class WWII submarine in 1979, and opened the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park in 1980. The museum campus, which houses both the museum and ship, is located adjacent to the USS Arizona Memorial Visitors Center at Pearl Harbor. Since PFSMA’s formation, over nine million visitors have explored our campus and engaged with our history. We are in the process of a major museum renovation. The USS Bowfin submarine remains open to the public.