Unveiling the Legacy of the AGSS Albacore: Pioneering Submarine Design in Portsmouth, NH
The AGSS Albacore, the third Navy vessel to bear the name, holds a significant place in naval history as the first Navy-designed vessel with a true underwater hull of a cylindrical shape, which has become the standard for modern submarines worldwide.
Designed, built, and maintained by the skilled engineers and craftsmen of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Albacore served as a sea-going test platform from 1953 to 1972. Its teardrop-shaped hull was the prototype for the Navy’s nuclear-powered submarine force, marking it as the first submarine built specifically to operate underwater. Prior to Albacore, submarines were primarily surface vessels capable of submerging. Albacore’s revolutionary hull design and advanced systems provided the Navy with an engineering platform to evaluate new systems and design features before incorporating them into future submarine classes. Its motto, “Praenuntius Futuri” (Forerunner of the Future), reflected its experimental mission.
Commissioned in December 1953, Albacore was only two-thirds the length of a World War II Fleet Boat. When equipped with a special high-capacity silver-zinc battery, it could outrun contemporary nuclear submarines. In 1966, Albacore set a record as the world’s fastest submarine, reaching an underwater speed of nearly 40 miles per hour.
In September 1972, Albacore was decommissioned and placed in reserve at the Inactive Ship Facility in Philadelphia. Ten years later, Portsmouth City Councilman Bill Keefe initiated efforts to return Albacore to its birthplace as a permanent display. After two years of paperwork and committee meetings, Albacore was towed from Philadelphia to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. In May 1985, Albacore was maneuvered through a dismantled railroad bridge and a cut-out section of a four-lane highway to its final resting place. It took nearly six months and a system of locks before it was finally settled on a concrete cradle at Albacore Park.
Matt Lambros NH Portsmouth Jul 11, 2024 History Maritime Museums
Jul 11, 2024
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