Officers and crew refine the submarine to meet the needs of their mission and new technology is incorporated with each refit and repair.
Some submarines undergo major modifications to fulfill new roles.
From 1943, when Pampanito was built, until today that process of change has continued. Although, at one point the process was reversed and changes were directed back at a specific point in her evolution - Summer, 1945. Near the end of WW II Pampanito underwent her first major ship yard refit and overhaul at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco following six war patrols. On the way to Pearl Harbor to start the patrol, the war ended and Pampanito returned to the Bay Area. At that point, the Navy had every intention of possibly returning Pampanito to service, and she was maintained as such.