| History |
| Directions |
| Outdoor Exhibits |
| Indoor
Exhibits
Bowfin Artifacts Poseidon Missile Mini Theatre Exhibit Spotlight |
return to top |
Bowfin Artifacts
Museum exhibits include Bowfin’s bell, which had been missing
for about 24 years. The bell was recently discovered at an estate sale.
A California couple who collect antiques purchased the bell and contacted
another WWII submarine museum in California to ask about the bell. USS Pampanito
wasn’t interested in a bell that said "USS Bowfin," but they
knew who would be. We purchased the bell and it arrived safe and sound thanks
to Mario Hernandez, Fred Algar and Eric Webber, three Naval Reservists who
toted this 77 pound brass bell back to Pearl Harbor on board an airplane.Another exhibit is Bowfin’s second battle flag, which was stored in crew member Jack Updegraff’s parents’ attic and forgotten about for almost 50 years! It was rediscovered and donated to the Museum collection just in time for the crew’s reunion-on-the-boat.
Other exhibits include a Bowfin launching cachet and a Purple Heart that was bestowed upon crew member Reid Lee, the only Bowfin casualty of war. Lee received shrapnel wounds during a surface engagement on the seventh patrol. The Purple Heart, a decoration instituted by Gen. George Washington, is named after the only type of wood capable of withstanding the constant stress of repeated firing.
To commemorate the Bowfin crew’s bravery during nine successful WWII war patrols, a special plaque that lists each of the crew members names was also unveiled during the reunion.
Bowfin's Bell
| return
to top |
Copyright 2002 USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park