Leaps in Submarine Technology - USS Bowfin (SS-287)

The World War I submarine blockade of Great Britain nearly won the war for Germany.

Broken only by additional escorts, convoys of ships, submarine depth charges and the first use of sonar, the blockade cost Great Britain millions of tons of shipping and thousands of lives.  Clearly, here in the submarine was a lean and mean way to change the battle for control of the seas almost overnight!

Both the United States and Japan increased technological developments for large submarines which would pay powerful dividends in World War II. No longer the 50 to 100 foot submersible, challenged to keep up, the 1940s version of the Fleet Submarine was over 300 feet long, capable of over 20 knots in speed,  able to stay weeks at sea and scour out thousands of miles in her patrol while delivering a devastating attack with torpedoes from below the surface.

Equipped with modern radios, radar, a five-inch deck gun, this modern behemoth could attack from the surface or while submerged, delivering a withering fire with machine guns or twenty-one inch torpedoes. Her radar and sonar provided early detection of targets and her new deep cycle, lead acid storage batteries gave her a 10,000 mile radius on her four diesel engines.  With a crew of over 80 men, this tiny ship was capable of delivering the war to the front door step of the Emperor of Japan while conducting a variety of missions.

Bowfin made nine war patrols under four different skippers. Step aboard and learn the rest of the story, as we tell you how 288 submarines sank over 55 percent of the Imperial Japanese Navy shipping while suffering the loss of 52 submarines and more than 3,500 officers and crew. Take the opportunity to visit the Submarine Memorial on the grounds to learn the awe inspiring story of each submarineís loss.