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USS Bowfin (SS/AGSS-287), Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the bowfin, a voracious, predatory fish native to the Great Lakes, the Mississippi valley, and nearby waters.

During her time of 9 patrols from December 1942 to February1947, the USS Bowfins sunk or limped enemy vessels, numerous schooners, captured yachts, barge, sailing vessels, convoys, freighters, tankers of various tonnage. Such as the Kirishima Maru120-ton passenger-cargo ship and transports, 120K tonnage total; 5,069-ton tanker Ogurasan Maru, 5,407-ton freighter Tainan Maru, besieged Van Vollenhoven, a 691-ton coastal cargo ship, Sydney Maru, a 5,425-ton freighter and Tonon Maru, a 9,866-ton tanker, 4,408-ton Shoyu Maru, 4,470-ton Tsukikawa Maru, 6,754-ton transport Tsushima Maru, 750-ton Coast Defense Vessel No. 56, 2,719-ton transport Chowa Maru, freighter Daito Maru No. 3, the 1,898-ton transport Shinyo Maru, 887-ton freighter Akiura Maru.

She also served life guard missions to rescue down plane pilots in the Pacific; she survived depth charge hunting episodes from the enemy in warfare engagements.

After WWII, the Bowfins arrived at Tompkinsville, Staten Island, New York, on 21 September 1945. She served in the Atlantic Fleet until decommissioned at New London on 12 February 1947 and placed in reserve.
During the Korean war, she was reactivated because of the Navy’s need to expand the fleet to support United Nations-led forces during the Korean War, the submarine was recommissioned on 27 July 1951 and, following shakedown training, sailed for the Pacific. After the war I n1953, was placed out of commission, in reserve, at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard on 22 April 1954, and other training duties. The warship remained there until moving to Seattle, Washington, on 1 May 1960 to replace Puffer (SS-268) as the Naval Reserve training submarine there and to begin a little over a decade’s service. Her name was finally on the Navy list on 1 December 1971, and she was taken back to Pearl Harbor, where she now serves as a memorial.


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