Bowfin News / 26 May 2026

The 2026 Memorial Day commemoration at the Submarine Memorial hosted by Bowfin Pearl Harbor Base Submarine Veterans, brought together veterans, active-duty Sailors, families, and community partners to honor America’s fallen submariners in a solemn ceremony. Bowfin Pearl Harbor Base submarine veterans continue these ceremonies annually with little deviation from the original observance first held at the memorial in 1960, preserving the traditions that have long defined submarine remembrance in Hawai’i.

Setting and Significance

The Submarine Memorial, a site originally dedicated in 1960 to honor submarines and submariners lost during the Second World War. Built to display bronze plaques listing the names of lost World War II submarines and their crews, the ten submarines lost before the war, and the four submarines lost after the war.

Opening of the Ceremony

The 2026 commemoration began with a formal welcome from Bowfin Pearl Harbor Base Commander Paul T. Jurcsak, USN (Retired), who greeted guests and set a tone of remembrance and gratitude. His remarks recognized the historic legacy of the “Silent Service” and the presence of widows, veterans, active duty submariners, and community leaders.

Radford High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and scouts from Troops 97 and 797 paraded the 50 state flags, visually representing the breadth of the nation whose fallen were being honored. Members of National Sojourners, led by Hawai’i Regional Representative Jeremy Holloway, then posted the colors, anchoring the ceremony in the traditions of military honor and patriotic respect.

Music, Prayer, and Remembrance

Following the posting of the colors, the U.S. Pacific Fleet Band Brass Quintet, featuring Musician First Class Jonathan Starr, performed the National Anthem as attendees stood in silence. The music provided a dignified tribute and a unifying moment for all present.

Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Chaplain Commander Jonathon Uyboco, CHC, USN, delivered the invocation, offering prayers for the fallen, their families, and those still serving beneath the sea. His words emphasized Memorial Day as both a civic duty and a spiritual obligation to remember the cost of freedom.

Tolling the Bell for Lost Boats

A central feature of the annual observance is the roll call, the solemn tolling of the bell for each U.S. submarine lost. Bell tolling was conducted by Bowfin Pearl Harbor Base Chief of the Boat Gary G. Johnson, CMDCM(SS), USN (Retired), the ceremony followed longstanding submarine tradition: each boat’s name was read and marked by a bell strike, symbolizing both loss and enduring remembrance, and a kukui nut lei was hung from the boat’s plaque.

Special Lei and Wreath Presentations

In keeping with Hawaii’s culture and Bowfin Pearl Harbor Base traditions, the ceremony featured special lei presentations to honor specific submarines and units. A lei was presented for USS Growler (SS‑215), the “Hawai’i State Submarine” lost in World War II, and for Growler’s “Kangaroo Express” service, highlighted by Commander Jason Shegog of the Royal Australian Navy.

Another lei honored USS Seawolf (SS‑197), recognizing her crew and the close ties between the U.S. submarine force and the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment, represented by VFW Post 1572 and Mrs. Anita Loando‑Acohido.

Wreath presentations followed from Bowfin Base U.S. Submarine Veterans, the Pacific Fleet Submarine Memorial Association, the Naval Submarine League Aloha Chapter, and the Pearl Harbor Submarine Officers’ Spouses Association. Each wreath laid at the memorial symbolized a collective commitment from veterans, families, and community partners—to remember and keep faith with the fallen.

Keynote message from RADM Cavanaugh

The distinguished speaker for the 2026 commemoration was Rear Admiral Christopher Cavanaugh, Commander, Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet. A career submariner and 1993 Naval Academy graduate, Cavanaugh has commanded the attack submarine USS Albuquerque (SSN 706), leading two Western Pacific deployments that earned a Navy Unit Commendation and the Battle Efficiency “E.”

He has also commanded Submarine Squadron 11 and held key assignments in strategy, personnel, nuclear propulsion, and joint budgeting, as well as command of Submarine Group 7, Task Force 54, and Task Force 74 in Yokosuka, Japan. Drawing on that experience, his remarks emphasized the continuity between World War II submariners and today’s undersea warriors, and the enduring responsibility to uphold the ideals for which the fallen served.

Closing Rites and Enduring Tradition

As in previous years, the ceremony concluded with a benediction from Chaplain CDR Uyboco, the U.S. Pacific Fleet Ceremonial Band’s performance of “The Navy Hymn,” and a three‑gun volley rendered by the Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam Navy Honor Guard Detachment under ITC Minami Jones, USN. “Taps,” sounded by MU2 Taylor Yarbrough of the Pacific Fleet Band, brought the gathering to a silent close as attendees reflected on the rows of plaques and the stories behind each name.

In hosting the 2026 Memorial Day commemoration, Bowfin Pearl Harbor Base once again demonstrated its commitment to preserving and continuing these rituals of remembrance. The base has carried out Memorial Day observances at the Submarine Memorial annually with little deviation from the original 1960 ceremony, ensuring that each new generation encounters the same solemn traditions that first honored the submarine force’s World War II heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for the county they loved.