EDUCATION

Did you Know?

Most WWII submarines were named for fish, and USS Bowfin was no exception. She takes her name from a hard-fighting, aggressive freshwater fish found from the Great Lakes down the Mississippi River, and as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. The last survivor of the Jurassic family Amiidae, the bowfin fish has a primitive lung, which allows it to thrive in water with low oxygen content, and it can survive for days at a time in little or no water. Diesel-electric submarines like USS Bowfin needed air to run their engines, and they distilled their own freshwater onboard, which was always limited in supply. So, in some ways, USS Bowfin really does resemble the fish she was named for!