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USS Pampanito

4.4 (126 reviews)
Closed 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Updated 1 month ago

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Tiffany D.

Free entrance on Veteran's Day! Scenic route when one is down by fisherman's wharf and Pier. It gives people something to do while touring the area!

Gun tower
Amanda M.

I have been wanting to tour a submarine and our trip to San Francisco had a perfect opportunity. Docked right in fisherman's wharf there is a dock that has the submarine stationed. It's costs $25 to tour. We had a reciprocal membership and were able to tour for free. I think $25 is a bit steep since the tour is only about an hour long. We got there right when they opened and there was no line. After going thru the admission booth they have a QR code for you to scan for an audio tour from your phone. The audio tour does a great job of describing each area of the sub and how it operated. There were only a handful of people on the tour the day we went so it was easy to linger and listen to the audio. If there were more people on the tour I could see how this would be a challenge and you might want ear phones as not to disturb others. Overall the audio was really informative and gave a great understanding on what the conditions were like for the crew members. They had discuss the sad reality of the submarines that did not make it back. Both educational and a symbolic remembrance of the lives lost.

Maruko X.

The USS Pampanito made six patrols in the Pacific during WWII, during which she sank six imperial ships and damaged four others. The museum opens every day and it could take twenty to thirty minutes or even longer going inside.

Maddie D.

Must see while in San Fran! There are old US ships and even in one the Titanic scene in the bunker was filmed here!

View from the side on this cloudy of days
Julian A.

The USS Pampanito is a famed submarine that was active during WW2 in the Pacific, where the war between the United States and Japan was at its all time unfortunate high. Today, it is a national museum located right in the heart of Fisherman's Wharf in beautiful San Francisco. When I took the tour, it was a life changing experience for myself. Being docked in the Bay Area since the mid 1970's, the USS Pampanito houses so much history. The tour is self guided. It is around $20 for adults and much less for children. This is definitely a family oriented landmark. The history that you're taught throughout the tour is beyond mind blowing. It does have very small and narrow hallways and many dark areas and big steps, so please be careful and keep a very watchful eye ahead of you. The mess hall, the infirmary, the bedrooms where the bunks were held, it is all just amazing to see. It takes you back to when the ship was commissioned during the war. It was an emotional tour for myself, but very informative. This is just something beyond amazing to check out if you're in the Bay Area. My deepest congrats and thank yous to all those that served. It is so worth the price. You're going to get much more than what you paid for.

Torpedo front loading
Chris J.

This was the best experience I have done for $25.00 but be warned not for super tall people lots of small tight places but very good walk alone tour start and end of sub and come out in front can feel Ocean movement.

Ngoc H.

Hubby wanted to tour this submarine while in San Francisco. He liked it. Would recommend. Tickets were $20 per person but if you get that tourist map there is a $5 off coupon you can use. Recommend. Fun!

Photo opp outside the submarine...
Jennifer O.

I hadn't toured the USS Pampanito in years and wanted to show this WWII submarine to my little boy. The USS Pampanito is located on Pier 45 at the Wharf. On other tours, I'd met servicemen who were on board as docents. I thanked them for their service and they answered questions and told their stories of what it was like to live and serve on a sub during wartime. "Brave," "claustrophobic" "terrifying" and "uncomfortable" were adjectives I remembered. When we walked up to the kiosk to buy tickets, my little boy and I were greeted by an indifferent young guy who said they had no discounts when I asked if they had any for AAA or USAA. "Not anymore." I wish I'd read the sign or he would've offered if I was a member of the National Maritime Park - which I am - that I could've paid less. Call me flinty but I thought $18.50 was pretty steep for 1 adult and 1 child admission (did not include audio tour, the headsets looked nasty). So being that my little boy is 7, he raced through the submarine in 6 minutes' flat as I raced to catch up, climbing through hatches and trying to point out things that were of historical interest, "Look how close together these bunks are. They look pretty uncomfortable." "See, the tables have ledges so plates and glasses won't slide off the edge." "Wow, this is the torpedo room, do you know what a torpedo is?" (Maybe it was better he wasn't paying attention. Does a 7 year-old need to know about military weapons? Probably not.) Go on a weekend when you might be able to meet a military serviceman on board the sub. To me, listening to his stories and being able to thank an American hero were the best parts of touring the USS Pampanito.

sleeping cots in the torpedo room
May A.

Cool! Located on Pier 45 at the Fisherman's Wharf, this World War II fleet submarine was smaller than the USS Nautilus I've visited and toured in Groton CT. This was a Groupon deal, otherwise, adult admission is $6/person and an additional $3 if you want a tour history headset. USS Pampanito (SS-383) is a National Historic Landmark. It had a colorful history of completing six patrols in the Pacific during World War II during which she sank six Imperial Japanese ships and damaged four others. Can't imagine how our seamen stayed inside underwater that long under cramped quarters. Everything was small, real estate and probably privacy, also, is very, very limited. It had sleeping cots in the torpedo room, for crying out loud. There may have been like 3 or 4 cots. Must have felt like sardines in here at the time and I'm not a very tall person. Fun trivia about the USS Pampanito is that it is the only submarine named for the pompano fish. Although, there is the USS Albacore in Portsmouth NH, which we just missed touring by one day due to scheduled annual maintenance. She was decommissioned at Mare Island on December 15, 1945. USS Pampanito earned six battle stars for World War II service. Cool museum to check out if you love history. Also, while in the control room and listening to the docent speak, I was getting a bit seasick... the waves of the ocean can be felt and was moving the submarine. Review #0299

Emmalouise B.

I'm sorry fellow reviewers but I just wasn't as impressed with USS Pampanito, maybe because I didn't get the audio tour? So I might just have to see at changing that when next in Fisherman's Wharf with some free time on my hands. The Submarine is impressive in stature and inside actually kind of creepy, especially when you think of the 60-80 people sharing the tiny little living space. It's easy to see why so many crewman would go crazy! Where it was great to walk around the inside I was very disappointed to find that almost everything was locked and behind giant perspex doors / divider's, it would have been nice to explore a little more in depth. We also knew nothing of the audio tour until I got home and I saw the Yelp reviews. The guy at the ticket office could have at least told us about it as having the additional information of what we were looking at while we were walking around would have no doubt made the experience better. $12 per person fee.. I assume the audio is slightly more.

Letter stating the birth of a crew member's kid. (Blurry picture)
Jessica A.

I got the groupon option for this submarine and was definitely worth indulging in some history. If you are claustrophobic or easily seasick I wouldn't recommend going on this. The submarine is anchored and won't be moving around except for the waves that cradle it. It was the first time I've gotten inside a submarine and it is definitely a lot tighter than I had imagined. You could see the living spaces and the bunk beds that the crew members slept in and lived in. There are even little notes that give you little backgrounds of what you are looking at. There are also actual easter egg letters to find throughout the sub. The headphones weren't working so I wasn't able to go through the self tour with that.

Machine gun- rat a tat!
Denis A.

This awesome piece of history is hidden from view and I actually had to ask around before I found it (around the corner from the Musee Macanique--worth a look too). The USS Pampanito is a must visit if you've never been inside a submarine or are a history buff. It is incredible that people could actually live in small quarters like this (see pics). Takes about 20 minutes to walk through and for a few dollars there is an audio tour available. This is an A+ place to bring the family and friends, You will walk away learning about SF naval history. I purchased a Groupon for $10 that got me admission for two to this Historic Submarine Tour. My toddler son got in for free( kids under 6 yrs is free). Highly recommended for kids all ages (+) Parking is terrible, as it tends to be in this area (-) Great learning field trip/experience (+)

Erik E.

Took this tour on a whim and TOTALLY worth it! This sub is permanently stationed in the water and does not actually troll around the bay, but you do have to get your sea legs situated as it does list/move with the water. I would highly recommended as this is a living piece of US history because it's an actual WW2 submarine that saw action. I was able to get a great price for a family of four using Groupon. But make sure you pay the additional small fee for the ipod headphones so you can get the guided tour with details and stories from the actual crew. The walk through will last about 45 minutes. *Just make note that since this is a submarine, the spaces are tight and would be difficult to maneuver through if your large or have difficulty walking.

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Loved the tour. We got audio assist included in the price. Great way to walk through a tiny part of history.

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I've always wanted to visit a submarine, and I got to explore an historic one that went through actual battles.

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