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USS Bowfin submarine park reopening to the public on Friday

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / JUNE 19
                                Paulanta Williander, and Kayla Tanaka, guest service associates, were waiting for the return of tourists at the USS Bowfin Museum.

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / JUNE 19

Paulanta Williander, and Kayla Tanaka, guest service associates, were waiting for the return of tourists at the USS Bowfin Museum.

The USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park said it is reopening to the public on Friday.

“We’ve taken advantage of the closures this year to make a number of improvements to our campus and we look forward to welcoming the public,” said Chuck Merkel, executive director of the Pacific Fleet Submarine Memorial Association.

Due to COVID-19, face coverings must be worn in order to enter.

New interpretive signs are in place for all of the outside exhibits, an outdoor play area for children is available, and a big “hull ring” greets visitors at the campus entrance that compares the diameter of World War II submarines to today’s much larger nuclear subs.

The USS Bowfin, a World War II submarine, will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The gift shop will be open, but food service and some concessions will remain closed. The museum remains closed for renovations and will reopen in early 2021.

Pearl Harbor National Memorial resumed a limited number of USS Arizona Memorial programs on Sept. 28. The 30-minute program includes a brief orientation from National Park Service staff, followed by a boat ride to the memorial on a U.S. Navy boat.

Visitors can book a ticket on the Navy shuttle boats to the memorial through recreation.gov. The boats run daily from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Since opening to the public in 1981, more than 9.5 million visitors have toured the USS Bowfin, which is adjacent to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.

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