In September, our own Charles Hinman celebrated his 30th work anniversary at the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum as well as being named the Museum’s Historian, bringing decades of experience and dedication to the stories of the U.S. Submarine Force and the people who served.

Before stepping into this new role, Charles was the Museum’s Director of Education, coordinating school visits, giving classroom presentations, and welcoming students from across Hawai‘i and beyond. While he still leads special visits for groups such as Make-A-Wish families and relatives to the men who served on the USS Bowfin, his focus has shifted toward research and sharing those stories with the public.

“My present position as Historian allows me to better concentrate on researching our submarines and the dedicated personnel who serve in the U.S. Submarine Force,” he explains.

Charles’ fascination with submarines began early in life. The son of a Naval Officer, he grew up in several coastal cities, including near the submarine base in Key West, Florida, and spent his childhood drawing submarines. Years later, while teaching in Japan, his daily train commute became an opportunity to study World War II history, especially the submarine war in the Pacific.

When he moved to Hawai‘i in 1995, a chance encounter solidified his career path. During a cruise around the Islands aboard the SS Independence, he met submarine icons Rear Admiral Eugene Fluckey and Captain Ned Beach. “I was looking for a job, and Captain Beach offered to put in a word for me at the Submarine Museum,” he recalls. “I’ve been here ever since.”

One of Charles’s most meaningful projects is “On Eternal Patrol”, an online tribute to the more than 4,000 submariners who lost their lives in service. The project began when he was tasked with verifying names on the Museum’s Waterfront Memorial and updating the companion booklet. Around the same time, a visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., inspired him.

“I thought we could do something similar with our lost submariners,” he says, “but decided to make it digital so anyone, anywhere, could learn their stories.”

With the help of a small group of dedicated researchers on the mainland, he began gathering photographs, biographies, and family connections, who have been instrumental in collecting photos and information and, most importantly, in contacting relatives of the men they seek to honor.

Since the discoveries of the World War-II submarines USS Lagarto (2005) and USS Wahoo (2006), the Museum has played an important role in honoring families of crews from newly found submarines. Memorial services hosted at Bowfin Park have brought together generations of relatives from Wahoo, Grunion, Flier, and Albacore.

“For many of the relatives, especially those who were old enough to have known their lost submariner, we have been able to assist in bringing some measure of closure, if only in providing the verified location of their loved one’s final resting place,” Charles shares. “That knowledge can bring a sense of peace after so many years of uncertainty.”

Charles has also co-authored the six-volume reference, “United States Submarine Men Lost During World War II” with World War II veteran Paul W. Wittmer. The two began corresponding in the late 1990s, combining decades of research into an invaluable historical record.

His contributions have been recognized through several awards, including the Ben Bastura Historical Achievement Award, a citation from COMSUBPAC, and the Casper J. Knight Award from the Historic Naval Ships Association. When asked about what Charles hopes visitors take away from their experience, he said: “A tour of USS Bowfin is an immersive experience, and after finishing the tour, our guests usually have a feeling for what life aboard a World War II submarine was like.

“And after a visit to our museum and the Waterfront Memorial, we hope that they appreciate the accomplishments and sacrifices of the men and women of our Submarine Force.”