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USS Pampanito in San Francisco: Tips to Tour this World War II Submarine Museum
By: Jill Loeffler • Updated: February 5, 2025 • Published: February 8, 2013
Are you interested in learning more about what it's like to visit the San Francisco submarine museum? Over the years, I've had a chance to tour The USS Pampanito SS-383 several times.
In my experience, this national historic landmark is perfect for those who love military history or are fascinated by submarines.
A tour of this World War II Balao-class fleet submarine includes almost full access to this floating museum in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf neighborhood.
Read on to learn more about my experience, pictures of what you'll see during your tour, and a few things you will want to think about before you arrive.
This is the view of the USS Pampanito as you walk to the ticket booth to pick up your ticket. In the back, by the sign, is where you will walk across a walkway to enter this San Francisco submarine museum.Historical Significance of the USS Pampanito SS-383
Before I go into my experience on this San Francisco submarine tour, I want to take you through its historical significance.
- Patrols in World War II: The USS Pampanito completed six patrols around the Pacific in World War II between 1944 and 1945. During these tours, it sank six Japanese ships and damaged four others.
- Rescue Mission: One of it's most important assignments happened during its third patrol. On September 12, 1944, it sank the SS Rakuyo Maru, a passenger-cargo ship that was carrying both British and Australian POWs. A few days after it hit the Rakuyo Maru, the USS Pampanito returned to the area and saved 73 survivors. The crew also called in other submarines to help save other survivors. You will learn about this mission through their audio tour, which I think is one of the most fascinating stories about this submarine.
- Advanced Technology: This Balao-class submarine had some of the most advanced technology for its time. It was also known for its durability and range. During your visit, you will see this technology close up and hear stories about how it was used during its missions.
- Restored to Operational Condition: One of the other things I find fascinating about this submarine is that, unlike other submarine museums, the USS Pampanito in San Francisco was restored to near operational condition. It offers you a more authentic experience during your visit. Their goal is to keep this piece of history frozen in time as it was in the late summer of 1945.
This is just the start of what makes this San Francisco submarine museum so special. Given its prime location in Fisherman's Wharf, it's also easily accessible, which makes it an even more popular military history museum.
Things to Know About Touring the USS Pampanito
Visiting this San Francisco submarine museum is a fantastic experience, but there are a few things I learned during my visits that I want to share with you before you decide to visit.
This SF museum was only slightly modified to accommodate visitors visiting it.
Most of the tour is in close quarters with small walkways and tight rooms.
Steep Steps
These are the steep steps down into the USS Pampanito. It's best to turn around and go down them like a ladder.There are only two sets of stairs. Each one is STEEP. They are more like ladders than stairs. The picture above is a look down the first set of stairs.
I always go down backward (they have a sign that recommends the same thing), but it's something to consider before your visit. If climbing up and down steep steps is a problem, this tour may not be right for you.
Small Spaces
The doorways on this submarine are still their original size. They can be challenging to navigate, so take your time to get through them.There are a LOT of small spaces throughout the USS Pampanito museum tour.
This includes walking through their small, original doors (see my picture above) when you go from one section to the next.
You will also stand in small spaces while listening to the audio tour.
Since it is such a tight fit inside, I don't recommend this tour for those who are claustrophobic or have difficulty getting around tight spaces.
It will most likely be an unpleasant visit.
Nowhere to Sit
There is nowhere to sit for most of the tour so you will be on your feet for about an hour.
This San Francisco submarine museum will also throw your balance off as it moves around a bit in the water.
Note: If you still want to see a World War II vessel without being so cramped, I recommend heading to Pier 35 and visiting the SS Jeremiah O'Brien. It is a World War II Liberty ship and offers more room to move around.
Audio Tour
On their website, there is a free audio tour for your visit.
I HIGHLY recommend setting this up on your phone before you visit. You don't have to download it. Go to the page where the audio file it stored, and you can play it directly from there.
The audio tour is fantastic, with snippets from those who were on the boat during its patrols. They tell you all about what it was like to live on the boat and some things they had to endure while on the sub.
It's a great step back in time to the 1940s when this was a working submarine.
You will learn much more through this audio tour than just casually walking through this San Francisco submarine museum on your own.
They used to offer headsets for this audio tour. I think they used to charge an additional $5 or $7 for this portion of the tour.
Now, it's free, but the online audio tour is the same one they offer through the headsets.
When you listen to it, it will give you instructions as if you have a headset. You can ignore the instructions on starting and stopping the audio.
Listen Before You Visit: If you want to, you can also listen to the entire audio tour at home before you buy your tickets. It will give you a fantastic idea on what to expect during your visit.
USS Pampanito Pricing and Hours
You can buy tickets online or in person for this tour. It's usually not too busy here, so you won't have any problems buying tickets at the time of your visit.
You can spend as much or as little time on the USS Pampanito as you want. The free downloadable audio tour takes 50 minutes if you let it run without pausing.
It runs at a good pace and gives you plenty of time to look around each room.
It is open seven days a week, starting at 9:30 am and closing at 4:30 pm. This includes most major holidays.
- Adults: $30
- Seniors (62 and over): $20
- Youth (5 - 13): $15
- Children (4 and under): Free
- Family (2 adults and 2 juniors): $65
- Students with ID: $20
- Active U.S. Military With ID: $10
Docent-led tours are available by prior arrangement.
You can also use the Go City all-inclusive pass. This discount card offers you admission to the USS Pampanito and tickets and tours for more of SF's top attractions and activities. Learn more here.
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My Experience Touring the San Francisco Submarine Museum
Here are pictures and some details from my recent visits, so you get a better feel for what it's like inside.
The tour starts at the back of the submarine. The first room you will enter is the torpedo room.
Several torpedoes are on display here. The room is tiny, allowing you to get a close look at these massive weapons.
This is where they would load the torpedoes at the back of the USS Pampanito.
The Aft Torpedo room in the SF Submarine Museum is where you can get a good look at what it was like to run the torpedos out of the submarine on its missions.From here, you walk behind the stairs you came down to enter the first of two engine rooms. These are some of the controls used to manage the submarine.
This is the main control room. The main engine panel is on the wall in the back right of this picture.
The main control room is where they ran the engine on their patrols. It was technologically advanced for its time in the 1940s.After walking through the second engine room, you'll come upon the sleeping quarters.
According to the audio tour, the USS Pampanito had only two bunks for every three people on board.
Since at least one of them was always on duty, they didn't need a bunk for each person.
The sleeping quarters on the USS Pampanito were tight, and this is the entire room. It was in the heart of the sub, so people were walking through on and off all night and night as well.The next room you will enter is the small mess hall. This is where everyone ate and hung out when they weren't on duty.
There was only a little bit of room, and this area was almost always crowded.
It looks simple, but this was one of the most important rooms for those on board. It's where they ate and spent some of their downtime when they were awake.The final room you will enter below deck is where they planned the missions.
This room is full of interesting controls, lights, and more.
Make sure you spend some time looking at this route map. It shows the routes for all of the missions for the USS Pampanito SS-383.
This is a really cool exhibit on the submarine. It shows all six of the patrol routes during World War II. It's fascinating to see how they weave back and forth so as not to be caught by the enemy.This panel was known as the Christmas Tree. It has both red and green lights. All lights had to be green before the submarine could start its journey.
They called this the Christmas Tree and you can learn how it worked in the audio tour of the USS Pampanito in San Francisco.After you finish in this room, you'll head back upstairs to the main deck. These are just a couple of pictures from this area of the submarine.
Another view of this Balao-class World War II submarine in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. It's a fun tour!Finding the Museum
The museum is in the heart of Fisherman's Wharf on Pier 45. Here is a map showing its location.
When you get close, you will see this sign. Walk under the sign to access the USS Pampanito.
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Other Popular Attractions Nearby
Boudin Bakery: One stop you must make on your visit to San Francisco is Boudin Bakery. This yummy bakery serves up the world-famous San Francisco sourdough bread. You can either grab a quick lunch downstairs or enjoy a relaxing meal upstairs in their restaurant.
Pier 39: The famed Pier 39 is just steps away from the USS Pampanito. This remodeled pier offers shopping, restaurants, and several other attractions. This is where you will find the sea lions basking in the sun, get the chance to visit the Aquarium of the Bay, and ride the historic carousel.
The Cannery: Not too far away is another historic building, the Cannery. It is now a shopping plaza with some great places to grab lunch or dinner. Make sure you stop by their courtyard to admire the 100+ year-old olive trees.
A Perfect Day in Fisherman's Wharf: Still trying to figure out how to see it all in one day? This "perfect day" itinerary offers the best way to stroll through Fisherman's Wharf in just one go. Savor a famous Irish Coffee, visit SF's historic ships, grab fresh crab for lunch on Fish Alley, and more.
Hi, I'm Jill!
Dreaming of a San Francisco vacation? As a proud local, I'm here to share my insider tips and personal experiences to help you make the most of this iconic city!
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