On Tuesday February 23rd at 10 am HST, the Pacific Fleet Submarine Memorial Association will hold a formal ceremony to celebrate the completion of the renovation of our museum and campus. Due to restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance at this ceremony is by invitation only. We regret that we cannot hold a larger event to mark this occasion, but we are hopeful that you will be able to visit in the near future.
We will live stream our opening ceremony on both Instagram and Facebook at the following links:
USS Bremerton Alumni participated in a campaign in support of the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museumthat was completed in early 2020.
An update from CAPT. Chuck Merkel, Executive Director at the museum:
This is a quick note to update you on our renovation. When we broke ground in January 2019, we knew there would be challenges, but no one envisioned a world-wide pandemic. I am happy to report that we are on track to complete our project early next year. For the latest progress photos, I am regularly updating the drop box at this link:
The final grand-spanking total qualified our group for the $25,00024 inch SSN and it was created in silver to stand out from the crowd. Yes, some killer donations came through on behalf of the Bremerton to bring us up to the highest level. The result is something every BADFISH sailor can take pride in.
The inscription is a composition of several shipmates’ ideas and crafted to fit in the allowable space.
Photo courtesy of Chuck Merkel of the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum and Bowfin Memorial.
“Dedicated to the USS BREMERTON (SSN 698) Her Officers and Men
Submariners Standing Ready to Defend Our Country”
The WALL
698 LOOKING FORWARD
USS Bremerton, the most senior not yet de-commissioned submarine in the United States Navy, is currently at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard preparing for her date with destiny. Decom ceremony and reunion in Bremerton are tentatively scheduled for Spring of 2021, that puts BadFish on course for a 40 year run.
Cheers – from RMCS(SS) Don Jones, Plankowner, SSN698
SAVE THE 698
Join the Movement. Are you passionate about preserving the USS Bremerton in any way shape or form? Do you wish to be involved before, during and after her decommissioning in whatever works are needed to establish the memory of 698 for the benefit of the public and of naval history? You are invited to a new closed group forum on Facebook “SaveThe698” to be involved in public discussion related to Saving 698. You can see the group site by clicking HERE.
Aloha from USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park – soon to be the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum!
Construction on site is wrapping up and we are transitioning to exhibit installation. Pacific Studio, our exhibit installer arrived on island. They are very well organized and have hit the ground running. Their first container has been delivered and we expect five additional containers over the next two weeks. Four to five additional containers will follow. Pacific Studio plans to complete the exhibit installation prior to Christmas. The museum’s audio-visual (A-V) systems will be installed between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The A-V system will be tested and content will be loaded in early January 2021. We are on track for a soft opening of our museum in mid to late January and a grand reopening in February – March. As soon as we can set a date with confidence, we will do so and will let you know.
I have attached some pictures of the current work in progress.
Thank you very much for your interest and support of our renovation.
Sincerely,
Chuck Merkel
Captain, U.S. Navy (Retired)
Executive Director, Pacific Fleet Submarine Memorial Association
DELIVERY OF FIRST CONTAINER
CONTAINERS ON LANAI
CONTAINER OFFLOAD
EMPTY CONTAINER
TOOLS
TYPICAL PACKAGING
OUTDOOR SIGN STANDS
OUTDOOR PLAY AREA
INTERPRETIVE SIGN STANDS
OUTDOOR PLAY AREA
COLD WAR GALLERY
698 LOOKING FORWARD
USS Bremerton, the most senior not yet de-commissioned submarine in the United States Navy, is currently at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard preparing for her date with destiny. Decom ceremony and reunion in Bremerton are tentatively scheduled for Spring of 2021, that puts BadFish on course for a 40 year run.
Cheers – from RMCS(SS) Don Jones, Plankowner, SSN698
SAVE THE 698
Join the Movement. Are you passionate about preserving the USS Bremerton in any way shape or form? Do you wish to be involved before, during and after her decommissioning in whatever works are needed to establish the memory of 698 for the benefit of the public and of naval history? You are invited to a new closed group forum on Facebook “SaveThe698” to be involved in public discussion related to Saving 698. You can see the group site by clicking HERE.
A collection of articles from the 698 group PFSM capital-campaign
Here are the links to the “Moments in Submarine History” type posts published on this website’s pages through the campaign. It was a fairly short campaign so there were only a few stories, having barely scratched the surface in regards to the treasure of legendary U.S. Navy submarine accounts. Selections were from the beginning of World War II and correspondingly those in the month of December which happened to coincide with our 698-PFSM campaign. The other aspect of the articles were helpful to illustrate how every U.S. Navy submariner is connected to the whole of the Silent Service.
USS Bremerton, the most senior not yet de-commissioned submarine in the United States Navy, is currently at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard preparing for her date with destiny. Decom ceremony and reunion in Bremerton are tentatively scheduled for Spring of 2021, that puts BadFish on course for a 40 year run.
Cheers – from RMCS(SS) Don Jones, Plankowner, SSN698
SAVE THE 698
Join the Movement. Are you passionate about preserving the USS Bremerton in any way shape or form? Do you wish to be involved before, during and after her decommissioning in whatever works are needed to establish the memory of 698 for the benefit of the public and of naval history? You are invited to a new closed group forum on Facebook “SaveThe698” to be involved in public discussion related to Saving 698. You can see the group site by clicking HERE.
All numbers have been tallied and here are the final results from the Bremerton alumi efforts to support The Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum at Pearl Harbor. The total of all donations and pledges is equal to $11,845.00!
This amount qualifies us to be on the Interior Campaign Donor Wall, a place reserved to recognize the museum’s biggest donors.
Our efforts to secure a permanent plaque in recognition of the USS Bremerton in “the most visited submarine museum in the world” will be a source of pride and personal connection for every alumni, his family and friends.
It will make your return trip to the islands a little more special.
As we get more details on the plaque, we will let you know, though you may read about the general details at the museum’s Capital Campaign page.
Sincere thanks to every donor and for the moral support from all. Your contributions went beyond the call of duty to help with this effort!
PFSM Looking Forward
The Bowfin Memorial in conjunction with the new and exciting developments offered by the PFSM will be a worthy tribute to the Silent Service and something to look forward to in the future on your next trip to Pearl Harbor. Here’s are few words from the Museum about what’s been happening and where they are headed…
Captain Chuck Merkel is interviewed by Island Focus about the PFSM and submarines (courtesy of Bob Miller).Click on photo or link to see.
If you haven’t seen the great and powerfully introduced Capital Campaign video yet it is narrated by former USS Bremerton skipper RON COX who now serves as Chairman of the Board of the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum. One more time, here’s the linkhttps://www.bowfin.org/capital-campaign
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When you, your family and friends come out to the Islands, put the Bowfin and the PFSM on your list of PLACES TO SEE!
698 LOOKING FORWARD
USS Bremerton, the most senior not yet de-commissioned submarine in the United States Navy, is currently at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard preparing for her date with destiny. Decom ceremony and reunion in Bremerton are tentatively scheduled for Spring of 2021, that puts BadFish on course for a 40 year run.
Cheers – from RMCS(SS) Don Jones, Plankowner, SSN698
SAVE THE 698
Join the Movement. Are you passionate about preserving the USS Bremerton in any way shape or form after her decommissioning for the benefit of the public and of naval history? You are invited to a new closed group forum on Facebook “SaveThe698” to be involved in public discussion related to Saving 698. You can see the group site by clicking HERE.
