USS Albacore, a 1837-ton auxiliary submarine, was built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Intended to test a radical new "teardrop" hull form in high-speed underwater operations, she was commissioned in December 1953. Over the next two years, she conducted underwater performance and tactical tests in the western Atlantic area. These were so successful that nearly all U.S. Navy submarines designed after the mid-1950s had hull shapes based on that introduced by Alabacore.
Albacore's stern was reconfigured in 1955-56, placing her propeller aft of her control planes, and she continued her experimental work, with an increasing emphasis on sound reduction. She was regularly modified to test new hull features, sonar systems, propulsion equipment and control configurations. More powerful machinery, with contra-rotating propellers, were installed in the mid-1960s, giving her a greater underwater speed.
During the early 1970s, Albacore was again modified to participate in the research and development Project SURPASS. However, ongoing problems with her diesel engines prevented this employment. The submarine was decommissioned in the latter part of 1972 and thereafter was kept in the Reserve Fleet at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. USS Albacore was towed to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in April 1984 and turned over to a private organization. In her new role as a museum, she was opened for public visits in 1985 and remains on display to the present day.
This page features selected views concerning USS Albacore (AGSS-569).
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
Photo #: NH 97661 USS Albacore (AGSS-569) Underway off the Isle of Shoals, 5 April 1954. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Online Image: 134KB; 740 x 610 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 97660 USS Albacore (AGSS-569) Underway at sea, 1954. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Online Image: 89KB; 740 x 605 pixels |
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Photo #: 80-G-K-19090 (Color) USS Albacore (AGSS-569) Operating near Key West, Florida, 31 October 1955. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 51KB; 740 x 440 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 80-G-K-22262 (Color) USS Albacore (AGSS-569) Underway off Newport, Rhode Island, 11 March 1957. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 71KB; 740 x 610 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: USN 1079492 USS Albacore (AGSS-569) Off the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, 11 March 1957. Official U.S. Navy Photograph. Online Image: 93KB; 740 x 620 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system as Photo # 428-N-1079492. |
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Photo #: NH 97662 USS Albacore (AGSS-569) Seen through the periscope of another submarine. This photograph was released for publication on 25 September 1957. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Online Image: 73KB; 740 x 520 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 97663 USS Albacore (AGSS-569) At sea, 3 August 1960. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Online Image: 124KB; 740 x 600 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 97664 USS Albacore (AGSS-569) View showing the "X" configuration tail planes fitted in 1960-61. This photograph was received by "All Hands" magazine on 26 March 1965. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Online Image: 88KB; 740 x 605 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 97666 USS Albacore (AGSS-569) An officer looks through the periscope in the submarine's control room, 27 October 1955. This photograph was released by the Department of Defense on 12 December 1955 as part of a press release announcing the use of the Albacore hull design for the new SSN-585 (Skipjack) class of nuclear-powered submarines. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Online Image: 96KB; 590 x 765 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 97665 USS Albacore (AGSS-569) Supervisory Naval Architect Morton Gertler directs Instrument Maker Carson W. Caudle in preparing a model of the submarine for further tests at the David Taylor Model Basin, Carderock, Maryland, 1 March 1956. "This new type of submarine hull design was selected from a systematic series of streamlined bodies developed by Mr. Gertler, who also supervised the thorough development testing program that resulted in the hull and appendages as they now exist on the submarine Albacore." (quoted from the original picture caption). Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Online Image: 70KB; 740 x 625 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 65217-KN (Color) Insignia: USS Albacore (AGSS-569) Jacket patch received from the ship in 1968. This insignia was adopted in 1953. Originated by her then Commanding Officer, the emblem symbolizes Albacore's mission as a test vehicle for developing future submarine hull forms and improved antisubmarine warfare design and tactics. The Latin motto translates "Forerunner of the Future". The silhouette of a submarine hull and one lightning streak symbolize the Albacore's role as a test vehicle. The other lightning streak and the "bull's eye" represent her role as a high speed target for antisubmarine warfare forces. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 171KB; 650 x 675 pixels |
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If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 21 September 2001
New image added 12 September 2003