If you've ever wondered what it's like to live underwater in a steel pipe, visit the U.S.S. Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, near the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor.
The U.S.S. Bowfin is one of about a dozen WW II subs that have avoided being scrapped or used for target practice. Launched a year after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the "Pearl Harbor Avenger" served with great distinction.
On the Bowfin, visitors are given a self-guided, narrated tour using a Walkman-style cassette recorder keyed to stops throughout the submarine. Get a glimpse of where the crew (known as "sewer pipers") worked, ate and slept through nine rigorous patrols during the war.
The park is located adjacent to the Arizona Memorial Visitor Center in Pearl Harbor. It's open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Children under the age of 4 are not permitted on the submarine. Discounts are available for senior citizens and military personnel.
