O'ahu - Honolulu - Pearl Harbor: USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park - Ballast Control Panel
This is an authentic control panel from one of the early ballistic missile submarines. The Chief of Watch stood at this station, controlling the main ballast tanks which allowed the submarine to dive and surface. To submerge, the tanks were filled with water. to surface,t he ranks were emptied--this was referred to as "blowing the ballast." From this same station he operated the seven variable ballast tanks and the trim system. The water was moved around to control the ballast and level the submarine.
The USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park opened in 1981 next to the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center in Pearl Harbor. The centerpiece of the museum is the World War II submarine USS Bowfin (SS-287), which is open for public tours. Adjacent to the Bowfin is a 10,000 square foot museum which exhibits an impressive collection of submarine-related artifacts such as submarine weapon systems, photographs, paintings, battleflags, original recruiting posters, and detailed submarine models, all illustrating the history of the U.S. Submarine Service. Numerous submarine-related artifacts litter the grounds around the park, which also features the Waterfront Memorial, a public memorial honoring the 52 American submarines and the more than 3,500 submariners lost during World War II.
O'ahu - Honolulu - Pearl Harbor: USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park - Ballast Control Panel
This is an authentic control panel from one of the early ballistic missile submarines. The Chief of Watch stood at this station, controlling the main ballast tanks which allowed the submarine to dive and surface. To submerge, the tanks were filled with water. to surface,t he ranks were emptied--this was referred to as "blowing the ballast." From this same station he operated the seven variable ballast tanks and the trim system. The water was moved around to control the ballast and level the submarine.
The USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park opened in 1981 next to the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center in Pearl Harbor. The centerpiece of the museum is the World War II submarine USS Bowfin (SS-287), which is open for public tours. Adjacent to the Bowfin is a 10,000 square foot museum which exhibits an impressive collection of submarine-related artifacts such as submarine weapon systems, photographs, paintings, battleflags, original recruiting posters, and detailed submarine models, all illustrating the history of the U.S. Submarine Service. Numerous submarine-related artifacts litter the grounds around the park, which also features the Waterfront Memorial, a public memorial honoring the 52 American submarines and the more than 3,500 submariners lost during World War II.