USS Albacore (AGSS-569)
USS Albacore off the coast of Rhode Island
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History | |
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United States | |
Name | Albacore |
Namesake | Albacore |
Ordered | 24 November 1950 |
Builder | Portsmouth Naval Shipyard of Kittery, Maine |
Laid down | 15 March 1952 |
Launched | 1 August 1953 |
Sponsored by | Mrs. J. E. Jowers, the widow of Chief Motor Machinist's Mate Arthur L. Stanton, lost with the second Albacore (SS-218) |
Commissioned | 6 December 1953 |
Decommissioned | 9 December 1972 |
Stricken | 1 May 1980 |
Motto |
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Status | Donated as a museum and memorial in Portsmouth, New Hampshire |
Badge | |
General characteristics - Final Phase 4 Configuration | |
Displacement | 1606.62 tons surface[1] 1823.51 tons submerged[1] |
Length | 205 ft 4.75 in (62.6047 m)[1] Length between perpendiculars 200 ft 0 in (60.96 m)[1] |
Beam | 27 ft 3.75 in (8.3249 m)[1] |
Draft | Forward 19 ft 1 in (5.82 m)[1] Aft 22 ft 3 in (6.78 m)[1] |
Propulsion | Two 7,500 shp, counter-rotating electric motors, Two 1,000 bhp/817 kW diesel/electric generators[1] |
Speed | |
Range | Varied with configuration |
Complement | 5 officers, 49 men |
Armament | None[2] |
USS Albacore (AGSS-569) is a unique research submarine that pioneered the American version of the teardrop hull form (sometimes referred to as an "Albacore hull") of modern submarines. The revolutionary design was derived from extensive hydrodynamic and wind tunnel testing, with an emphasis on underwater speed and maneuverability.[4] She was the third vessel of the United States Navy to be named for the albacore.
Her keel was laid down on 15 March 1952 by the
The effectiveness of submarines in World War II convinced both the Soviet Navy and the United States Navy that undersea warfare would play an even more important role in coming conflicts and dictated development of superior submarines. The advent of nuclear power nourished the hope that such warships could be produced. The effort to achieve this goal involved the development of a nuclear propulsion system and the design of a streamlined submarine hull capable of optimum submerged performance.
Development
Late in World War II, committees on both sides of the
Evaluations
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
The submarine departed Portsmouth on 12 October 1955 and sailed via
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,[19] with her propeller aft of all control surfaces.
Operation with her new stern configuration started in April 1956,[20] 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,[21] 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
The ensuing tests emphasized sound reduction and included extensive evaluation of
In 1959, a newly designed 14-foot propeller was installed and tested.[22] Albacore sailed south late in May and, after operating in the British West Indies for two weeks, proceeded to Key West to serve as a target for the Surface Antisubmarine Development Detachment. After returning north, she spent much of the remainder of 1959 and most of 1960 undergoing widely varied tests for the David Taylor Model Basin. One of the more unusual tests consisted of evaluating a concave bow sonar dome.[23][clarification needed]
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 which included modified forward ballast tanks, new sonar systems, and a large auxiliary rudder in the after part of her sail.[22] Following the completion of this work in August 1961, she operated along the east coast learning the effect of her new configuration and equipment upon her capabilities and performance.
In 1962, she received a newly developed DIMUS
Standardization and machinery tests in the
On 1 January 1968, the submarine returned to Portsmouth for a modification of her propulsion system which kept her in the navy yard until 19 April. Following a month of trials in the Gulf of Maine, she headed south for evaluation of her new MONOB I and
The sub remained mostly inactive until 2 February 1970, when she began an overhaul in drydock and modifications to prepare her for Project SURPASS, researching the use of polymer mixed with fresh water to reduce drag,[22][24] 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
USS Albacore (Submarine) | |
Location | Portsmouth, New Hampshire |
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Built | 1953 |
Architect | Portsmouth Naval Shipyard |
NRHP reference No. | 89001077 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | 11 April 1989[25] |
Designated NHL | 11 April 1989[26] |
After frequent diesel 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
A dockside retirement ceremony was held at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on 1 September 1972, attended by Rear Adm. J. Edward Snyder,[29][30] 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."[31] Albacore was decommissioned on 9 December 1972 and laid up at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.[32] 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):[33]
- 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 575 miles (925 km) that took 70 hours.[34]
In May 1985, she was moved across
Albacore's 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,[37] and is open to the public. She is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated a National Historic Landmark on 11 April 1989.[26][38] In 2005, the United States Submarine Veterans of World War II inducted the Albacore into the Submarine Hall of Fame.[39] In 2016, the basin area around the submarine at Albacore Park was completely reconstructed.[40]
Image gallery
Exterior views
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Permanent display, March 2006
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Permanent display, April 2018
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View from the stern
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Sail detail
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X-stern and dual propellers
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Tour entrance
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Propeller display
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Museum & gift shop
Interior views
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Communication station
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Control panel
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Sonar station
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Control station
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Periscope
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Bunks and lockers
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Crew area
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Galley
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Engine room
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Hatch
See also
- List of National Historic Landmarks in New Hampshire
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Rockingham County, New Hampshire
- USS Barbel (SS-580) Lead boat of a class of 3. First diesel-powered attack submarine with a teardrop hull, armed version of Albacore.
- Hunt for Red Octobermovie
- USS Bonefish (SS-582) Last conventionally powered submarine built for the US Navy. Laid after Blueback but launched and commissioned before.
Other US Navy research submarines:
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Damage Control Book: AGSS569 (U). Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy, Naval Ship Systems Command. 1971. pp. Section 12, 5–8.
- ^ a b c Polmar & Moore, p.129
- ^ Tyler, Patrick (1986). Running Critical: The Silent War, Rickover and General Dynamics. New York: Harper and Row. p. 70.
- ^ Scrafford, Julie (2006). "Albacore: Forerunner to the Future". Undersea Warfare. 8 (4). U.S. Navy. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ "Keel for Albacore, Experimental Sub, Laid at Shipyard". The Portsmouth Herald. Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 17 March 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Albacore Launching Scheduled Today at Naval Shipyard". The Portsmouth Herald. Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 1 August 1953. p. 1. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Albacore Launching Scheduled Today at Naval Shipyard (cont)". The Portsmouth Herald. Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 1 August 1953. p. 2. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "New Type Sub Commissioned at Portsmouth". The Boston Globe. 6 December 1953. p. C22. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
- ^ "Submarine Commissioned". News-Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. 10 December 1953. p. 26. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Polmar & Moore, p.128
- ^ "Using Wind Tunnel". Medford Mail Tribune. Medford, Oregon. 22 December 1955. p. 10. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Building and Changing Albacore". Archived from the original on 4 March 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ^ "The Revolutionary USS ALBACORE (AGSS-569)". 14 March 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ^ "209-USS-Albacore-1953.pdf" (PDF). 13 May 2000. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ISBN 1-55750-260-9.
- ^ "Streamline Sub Sets Under Water Speed Records." Popular Mechanics, June 1954, p. 73.
- ^ "Mountbatten Due For Trip in Sub". Pensacola News Journal. Pensacola, Florida. Associated Press. 22 October 1955. p. 1. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sea Lord To Cruise". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. Associated Press. 5 November 1955. p. 4. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Naval Events Headlined". Wilmington Morning News. Wilmington, Delaware. 2 February 1956. p. 3. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Albacore, Fastest Sub Yet". Mason City Globe-Gazette. Mason City, Iowa. 17 April 1956. p. 9. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "WKBT TV Topics". La Crosse Tribune. La Crosse, Wisconsin. 13 May 1956. p. 14. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e Polmar & Moore, p.130
- ^ Oral History, p.150
- ^ "Super-fast Soviet N-sub worries U.S." The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. 5 July 1983. p. 1. Retrieved 4 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 23 January 2007.
- ^ a b "USS ALBACORE (Submarine)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2007.
- ^ "The Albacore Story: Concept to Mothballs". Albacore Park. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
- ^ Pierce, William (18 August 2014). "General Motors / Electro-Motive 16-184 Diesel Engine". Old Machine Press. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
- ^ "'Retirement' Rites Held for Albacore". The Portsmouth Herald. Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 1 September 1972. p. 1. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "'Retirement' Rites Held for Albacore (cont)". The Portsmouth Herald. Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 1 September 1972. p. 3. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Oral History, pp.525–530
- ^ "Silent Fleet Never Sails". Sentinel Star. Orlando, Florida. 3 May 1973. p. 118. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Largess & Mandelblatt
- ^ a b c d e f g "Albacore Park". ussalbacore.org. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "Headed upstream". Courier-Post. Camden, New Jersey. 5 May 1985. p. 5. Retrieved 4 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Old Submarine Opens As Exhibit". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, Vermont. 31 August 1986. p. 19. Retrieved 4 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "USS Albacore Museum". 4 April 2018 – via Google Maps.
- ^ Kevin J. Foster (28 July 1988). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: USS Albacore (AGSS-569)". National Park Service. Retrieved 27 November 2023. and Accompanying 1 photo, from 1988. (124 KB)
- ^ Piggot, Mark O. (30 May 2005). "Submariners, Past and Present, Honor Fallen Shipmates for Memorial Day". navy.mil. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ "Basin Renovation". ussalbacore.org. 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2018 – via imageevent.com.
Sources
- Largess, Robert; Mandelblatt, James (2003). U.S.S. Albacore: Forerunner of the Future. Portsmouth Marine Society. ISBN 9780915819249.
- Christley, Jim; Grulich, Fred; Patterson, John (2004). "Question 18/03: Pancake Submarine Diesel Engines". Warship International. XLI (2): 126–129. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Polmar, Norman; Moore, K. J. (2003). Cold War Submarines: The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines, 1945-2001. Potomac Books. pp. 127–146. ISBN 1574885944– via vdocuments.site.
Chapter 9, The Quest for Speed
- Hunter, Jack; Jordan, Austin, eds. (2017). USS Albacore (AGSS569): An Oral History. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1540646040. Archived from the originalon 4 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
Further reading
- Historical
- "Sheraden Navy Officer Skipper of World's Swiftest Submarine". Pittsburgh Press. 17 March 1955. p. 2. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- Ryan, Cornelius (1 April 1955). "I Rode the World's Fastest Sub". Collier's Weekly. pp. 25–29.
- "Experimental Submarine To Be Opened to Public". The Portsmouth Herald. Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 26 June 1956. p. 17. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- Soule, Gardner (December 1956). "Fastest Sub". Popular Science. Vol. 169, no. 6. pp. 82–85, 226, 228. Retrieved 4 April 2018 – via Google Books.
- "LCDR J. L. Boyes Yields Command of Submarine". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz, California. 23 January 1957. p. 22. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- Contemporary
- Dinan, Elizabeth (5 April 2019). "Tales from the Albacore". seacoastonline.com. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
Harold Whitehouse said he was the only one with a camera aboard the USS Albacore, almost 35 years ago, when it was nudged by tugboats en route to its current location off the Route 1 Bypass.
External links
- USSAlbacore.org
- Albacore Museum and Park, from Portsmouthnh.com
- USS Albacore (AGSS-569) at Historic Naval Ships Association
- USS Albacore Photos on board the Submarine USS Albacore in Portsmouth, NH