The USS Bowfin (SS-287) sank at least 20 enemy vessels (confirmed) during her World War II service. With a crew of 70 enlisted men and 10 officers, the Bowfin completed nine war patrols in locations such as the:
 Mindanao Sea
 South China Sea
 Coast of Indochina
 Celebes Sea
 Marianas
 Guam
 Sea of Japan
 Palaus
 Ryukyu Islands
South China, Java, Flores Sea Duty
A Balao-class submarine, the Bowfin was named for a predatory fish found in the Great Lakes and Mississippi Valley. She was built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine and launched in late 1942. During her illustrious career at locations such as the South China, Java, Banda, and Flores Seas, the Bowfin sank vessels including the:
 Ogurasan Maru, a tanker
 Tainan Maru, a freighter
 Van Vollenhoven, a French-owned cargo ship the Japanese had seized
 Shoyu Maru
 Shinkyo Maru
 Bengal Maru
Korean War Service
After the conclusion of the war, the Bowfin proceeded to Staten Island, New York, where she began her service in the Atlantic Fleet.
Mothballed in early 1947, the USS Bowfin was reactivated in 1951 to support the war effort against Korea. She operated from San Diego for a few years, doing training and exercise maneuvers. Inactivated at San Francisco in 1953, the Bowfin was in reserve there until her move to Seattle, Washington in 1960.
Now a National Historic Landmark
The USS Bowfin is now a memorial ship in Pearl Harbor, where she was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
The USS Bowfin and Asbestos Diseases
Like all of the U.S. Navy’s submarines built before the 1970s, the Bowfin had many asbestos-containing components. Decades ago, the Navy required the widespread use of asbestos in its fleet. The Naval shipyards used asbestos in many ways to construct submarines and other vessels.
If your family member (or you) helped build the U.S. Bowfin or served aboard her, asbestos exposure is a possibility. The diseases that asbestos can cause are life-altering and often fatal. Contact an asbestos attorney near you to learn more.
