USS Albacore (AGSS-569)

Late in World War II, committees on both sides of the Iron Curtain studied postwar uses of atomic energy and recommended the development of nuclear propulsion for ships. Since nuclear power plants would operate without the oxygen supply needed by conventional machinery, and since techniques were available for oxygen generation and carbon dioxide removal, submarine designers turned their attention to vessels that could operate for long periods without surfacing. Veteran submariners visualized a new type of submarine in which surface performance characteristics would be completely subordinated to high submerged speed and agility. In 1949 a special committee began a series of hydrodynamic studies, which led to a program within the U.S. Bureau of Ships to determine what hull form would be best for submerged operation. The David Taylor Model Basin in Maryland tested a series of designs. The best two—one with a single propeller and the other with dual screws—were then tested in a wind tunnel at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. To hasten bureaucratic approval and to avoid interference from the various Navy departments that would have overseen various aspects of a new combat ship (e.g. weapons and ordnance), Admiral Momsen proposed to build an unarmed submarine as a practice target for aircraft carriers to practice Anti-submarine Warfare against, and directed the Bureau of Ships to design only for speed. The single-screw version was adopted, and construction of an experimental submarine to this design was authorized on 25 November 1950. The hull of the Albacore utilized HY-80 high-strength steel Other components were made from high-tensile steel (HTS). ==Evaluations==

, August 1953 Following preliminary acceptance trials, the new submarine departed Portsmouth on 8 April 1954 for shakedown training. She began the first cycle of a career in which she experimented extensively with a given configuration and then returned to Portsmouth for extensive modifications to evaluate different design concepts, to help the Navy develop better hull configurations for future submarines. On this initial cruise, she operated out of New London, Connecticut, before sailing for Key West, Florida, to conduct operations out of that port and in Cuban waters. She returned to Portsmouth on 3 July for more than a year of trials in cooperation with the David Taylor Model Basin. Throughout these operations, she underwent repairs and modification to eliminate technical problems. It was found during these early sea trials Albacore could operate at the same maximum speed as the older modernized Guppy-type submarines with half the shaft horsepower. The submarine departed Portsmouth on 12 October 1955 and sailed via Block Island for Key West, where she arrived on 19 October 1955 to commence antisubmarine warfare evaluation and to provide target services to the Operational Development Force's Surface Antisubmarine Development Detachment. On 4 November 1955, Admiral Arleigh Burke, Chief of Naval Operations, embarked on Albacore for a brief demonstration cruise. Lord Mountbatten accompanied Admiral Burke on the cruise. On 19 November 1955, Albacore sailed for a rendezvous point off the Bahamas where she conducted special operations until 24 November 1955 and then returned to Portsmouth. From December 1955 to March 1956, Albacore underwent stern renewal. Until this time, her propeller had been surrounded by the rudder and stern plane control surfaces. With her "new look", she resembled a blimp, with her propeller aft of all control surfaces. Operation with her new stern configuration started in April 1956, and continued until late in the year. In May, Albacore visited New York City and participated in the television production Wide, Wide World, during which she submerged, with an underwater camera mounted on her forecastle, the first live telecast of a submarine while diving. ==More tests==

In November 1956, Albacore reentered the shipyard for engine conversion. She departed New London on 11 March 1957, for operations out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The submarine returned to Boston, Massachusetts, on 2 April 1957 and operated locally out of Boston and Portsmouth until entering the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard early in 1958 for an overhaul that lasted until June. The ensuing tests emphasized sound reduction and included extensive evaluation of Aqua-Plas, a sound-damping elastic that had been applied to the ship's superstructure and tank interiors. In October 1958, her bow planes were removed to further reduce noise. The submarine ended the year with a fortnight's run to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and back to serve as a target ship for Canadian warships. In 1959, a newly designed 14-foot propeller was installed and tested. Subsequent post-1959 design went into the Barbel-class submarine design, of which three boats were produced. These three submarines looked generally the same as Albacore, although longer. Only one survives today, the USS Blueback (SS-581). ==Reconfigurations==

On 21 November 1960, the ship entered Portsmouth for a major overhaul and conversion in which she received: a new, experimental, X-shaped tail for increased control; 10 dive brakes around her hull, a new bow that included modified forward ballast tanks, new sonar systems, and a large auxiliary rudder in the after part of her sail. sponsored by the Naval Ship Research and Development Center at Carderock, Maryland. The ship left drydock on 16 April 1971, commenced sea trials on 22 July 1971, and completed them in August 1971. Early in October, she operated off Provincetown, Massachusetts, to calibrate her sonar and radar equipment. ==Decommissioning==

After frequent engine failures had caused repeated delays in her operations, her deployment in support of Project SURPASS was canceled, and preparations for her deactivation were begun. She used the General Motors EMD 16-338 lightweight, compact, high-speed "pancake" Diesel engine. These had also been used on the , but were replaced on them due to problems, and their pancake engines were used as spare parts. The engines were not replaced on Albacore due to space constraints. The unreliability of the engines and lack of spares led to the decommissioning of Albacore as further cannibalized parts became unavailable. A dockside retirement ceremony was held at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on 1 September 1972, attended by Rear Adm. J. Edward Snyder, who delivered comments on behalf of Robert A. Frosch, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research and Development, referring to Albacore as "the submarine that gave its body to science." Albacore was decommissioned on 9 December 1972 and laid up at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 May 1980. ==Phases==

Operational history of the Albacore consisted of five phases (and an unrealized sixth phase): • Phase I / project SCB 56 (December 1953 to December 1955) • Bow planes, control surfaces aft of propeller, 11-foot diameter propeller, dorsal rudder • Phase II / SCB 182 (March 1956 to November 1960) • Control surfaces forward of propeller, 14-foot diameter propeller, dorsal rudder removed • Phase III / SCB 182A (August 1961 to December 1962) • X-stern, dive brakes, larger dorsal rudder • Phase IV (March 1965 to February 1970) • Aft pressure hull enlarged and surrounding ballast tanks eliminated to accommodate two main propulsion motors, contra-rotating propellers, silver zinc battery • Phase V (April 1971 to September 1972) • Bow and amidships polymer ejection manifolds and sail seawater intake scoop for Project SURPASS • Phase VI (unrealized) • Hull would be lengthened 12-feet to accommodate larger, more reliable diesels ==Legacy==

A non-profit group, the Portsmouth Submarine Memorial Association, was formed to bring the Albacore back to Portsmouth and place her on permanent display, designed to be on dry land so the entire submarine would be visible. The Albacore was towed back to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in April 1984, by an Army Reserve tugboat in a journey of that took 70 hours. In May 1985, she was moved across Portsmouth Harbor to a permanent display site. followed by a catastrophic derailment of the temporary marine railway that had been constructed to bring her out of the water. Albacores service as an active experimental submersible for more than two decades steadily increased the Navy's knowledge of both theoretical and applied hydrodynamics, which it used in designing faster, quieter, more maneuverable and safer submarines. The Navy's effort to build hulls capable of optimum operation while submerged was wedded to its nuclear propulsion program in the submarine Skipjack, which was laid down in the spring of 1956, and these two concepts have complemented each other in the design of all of the Navy's subsequent submarines. Albacore is located at Albacore Park, 600 Market Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and is open to the public. At this time, the Visitors Center at the USS Albacore Museum is under construction to expand their exhibit space. Inside the current Visitor Center, there is a small exhibit space that includes information regarding the USS Albacore, the USS Dolphin, the USS Thresher, and other maritime histories. The new portion of the Visitor Center is going to be a combination of maritime history of the Piscataqua region and submarine history covering the diesel age into the nuclear revolution. This means that the exhibit space in the original museum is going to focus entirely on the USS Albacore and her history. Artifacts from the USS Albacore Museum's Archive are going to be on display for the first time in some instances and will serve to expand the knowledge and history of the USS Albacore. She is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated a National Historic Landmark on 11 April 1989. In 2005, the United States Submarine Veterans of World War II inducted the Albacore into the Submarine Hall of Fame. In 2016, the basin area around the submarine at Albacore Park was completely reconstructed. == Image gallery ==

Exterior views File:Uss albacore 03-2006.jpg|Permanent display, March 2006 File:USS Albacore (2018) 09.jpg|Permanent display, April 2018 File:USS Albacore (2018) 13.jpg|View from the stern File:USS Albacore (2018) 12.jpg|Sail detail File:USS Albacore (2018) 03.jpg|X-stern and dual propellers File:USS Albacore (2018) 06.jpg|Tour entrance File:USS Albacore (2018) props.jpg|Propeller display File:IMG_1258USS_Albacore_(2018)_museum.jpg|Museum & gift shop Interior views File:Communications station more controls.JPG|Communication station File:Hull openings and vent controls.JPG|Control panel File:Depth control?.JPG|Sonar station File:Steering section.JPG|Control station File:USS Albacore periscope and navigation table.jpg|Periscope File:Bunks and lockers.JPG|Bunks and lockers File:2008-08-30 13-30-54 (USS Albacore).jpg|Crew area File:Kitchen area opposite side.JPG|Galley File:Engine room.JPG|Engine room File:2008-08-30 13-35-25 (USS Albacore).jpg|Hatch ==See also==