_underway_off_Newport%2c_Rhode_Island_(USA)%2c_11_March_1957_(80-G-K-22262).jpg) USSAlbacore off the coast of Rhode Island | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Albacore |
| Namesake | Albacore |
| Ordered | 24 November 1950 |
| Builder | Portsmouth Naval Shipyard ofKittery, 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 secondAlbacore (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 inPortsmouth, New Hampshire |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics - Final Phase 4 Configuration | |
| Displacement | 1606.62tons 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[3] |
USSAlbacore (AGSS-569) is a retired, unique researchsubmarine that pioneered the American version of theteardrop hull form, sometimes called 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 theUnited States Navy to be named for thealbacore.
Her keel was laid down on 15 March 1952 by thePortsmouth Naval Shipyard ofKittery, Maine.[5] She waslaunched on 1 August 1953, sponsored by Mrs. J. E. Jowers, the widow of Chief Motor Machinist's Mate Arthur L. Stanton, lost with the secondAlbacore (SS-218),[6][7] andcommissioned on 6 December 1953 with Lieutenant Commander Kenneth C. Gummerson in command.[8][9]
The effectiveness of submarines inWorld War II convinced both theSoviet Navy and theUnited States Navy that undersea warfare would play an even more important role in coming conflicts and dictated development of superior submarines. The advent ofnuclear power nourished the hope that suchwarships 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.
Late in World War II, committees on both sides of theIron Curtain studied postwar uses ofatomic energy and recommended the development of nuclear propulsion for ships. Since nuclear power plants would operate without theoxygen supply needed by conventional machinery, and since techniques were available for oxygen generation andcarbon 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. TheDavid Taylor Model Basin inMaryland 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 atLangley Air Force Base inVirginia.[10][11] To avoid interference from the various departments of the Navy,Admiral Momsen proposed to build a submarine as apractice target for aircraft carriers to practice Anti-submarine Warfare against, and directed the Bureau of Ships to design an unarmed submarine for speed.[12][13][14] The single-screw version was adopted, and construction of an experimental submarine to this design was authorized on 25 November 1950. The hull of theAlbacore utilizedHY-80 high-strength steel[3] with ayield strength of 80,000 psi (550 MPa), although this was not initially used to increase the diving depth relative to other American submarines. HY-80 remained the standard submarine steel through theLos Angeles class.[15] Other components were made fromhigh-tensile steel (HTS).[3] This ship was classified as an auxiliary submarine (AGSS-569) and namedAlbacore. In this instance, AGSS stands for Auxiliary General Submersible Submarine, which for the U.S. Navy meant the first hull of its kind for the fleet.[16]
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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 ofNew London, Connecticut, before sailing forKey West, Florida, to conduct operations out of that port and inCuban 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 trialsAlbacore could operate at the same maximum speed as the older modernizedGuppy-type submarines with half the shaft horsepower.[17]
The submarine departed Portsmouth on 12 October 1955 and sailed viaBlock 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, AdmiralArleigh Burke,Chief of Naval Operations, embarked onAlbacore for a brief demonstration cruise.Lord Mountbatten accompanied Admiral Burke on the cruise.[18][19] On 19 November 1955,Albacore sailed for a rendezvous point offthe 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 ablimp,[20] with her propeller aft of all control surfaces.
Operation with her new stern configuration started in April 1956,[21] and continued until late in the year. In May,Albacore visited New York City and participated in the television productionWide, Wide World, during which she submerged, with an underwater camera mounted on her forecastle,[22] the first live telecast of a submarine while diving.
In November 1956,Albacore reentered the shipyard for engine conversion. She departed New London on 11 March 1957, for operations out ofSan Juan, Puerto Rico, andGuantánamo Bay, Cuba. The submarine returned toBoston, 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 ofAqua-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.[23] The submarine ended the year with a fortnight's run toHalifax, Nova Scotia, and back to serve as a target ship forCanadian warships.
In 1959, a newly designed 14-foot propeller was installed and tested.[23]Albacore sailed south late in May and, after operating in theBritish 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.[24][clarification needed]
Subsequent post-1959 design went into theBarbel-class submarine design, of which three boats were produced. These three submarines looked generally the same as Albacore, although longer. Only one survives today, theUSSBlueback (SS-581).
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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.[23] 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 DIMUSsonar system and, on 7 December 1962, work began on her fourth major conversion that included the installation of concentriccontra-rotating propellers, a high-capacitysilver zinc battery and a larger main motor.[23] New radio equipment, BQS-4 and BQR-2 sonars, an emergency recovery system, and a new main ballast tank blow system were also added. After work was completed in March 1965,Albacore prepared for deployment to Florida waters to study the results of her changes. This was the second time that she achieved a world record speed for submarine travel, submerged. She returned to Portsmouth on 8 October 1965 and continued to evaluate her capabilities under the new configuration. On 1 August 1966, she reentered the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to replace the silver-zinc battery and to shorten the distance between the contra-rotating propellers — work that lasted into August 1967.
Standardization and machinery tests in theGulf of Maine during September were followed by evaluation of towed sonar arrays offPort Everglades, in October and November, followed by acoustics trials in theTongue of the Ocean, a deep channel in the centralBahamas.
On 1 January 1968, the submarine returned to Portsmouth for a modification of her propulsion system that 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 andAUTEC systems and of Fly-Around-Body (FAB) Phase I equipment in the Tongue of the Ocean. She returned to Portsmouth on 24 August 1968 for AUTEC de-instrumentation and installation of FAB Phase II equipment. Following evaluation of this new gear in the Gulf of Maine, theAlbacore returned to Portsmouth on 30 September and entered reduced operating status pending the results of further studies on the feasibility of using her thereafter for further research.
The sub remained mostly inactive until 2 February 1970, when she began an overhaul indrydock and modifications to prepare her for Project SURPASS, researching the use ofpolymer mixed with fresh water to reduce drag,[23][25] sponsored by theNaval Ship Research and Development Center atCarderock, 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 offProvincetown, Massachusetts, to calibrate her sonar and radar equipment.
USSAlbacore (Submarine) | |
_01.jpg) USSAlbacore on display in April 2018 | |
  | |
| Location | Portsmouth, New Hampshire |
|---|---|
| Built | 1953 |
| Architect | Portsmouth Naval Shipyard |
| NRHP reference No. | 89001077 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | 11 April 1989[26] |
| Designated NHL | 11 April 1989[27] |
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 MotorsEMD 16-338 lightweight, compact, high-speed "pancake" Diesel engine. These had also been used on theTang-class submarine, but were replaced on them due to problems, and their pancake engines were used as spare parts. The engines were not replaced onAlbacore due to space constraints. The unreliability of the engines and lack of spares led to the decommissioning ofAlbacore as further cannibalized parts became unavailable.[28][29]
A dockside retirement ceremony was held at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on 1 September 1972, attended byRear Adm.J. Edward Snyder,[30][31] who delivered comments on behalf ofRobert A. Frosch,Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research and Development, referring toAlbacore as "the submarine that gave its body to science."[32]Albacore was decommissioned on 9 December 1972 and laid up at theNaval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in thePhiladelphia Naval Shipyard.[33] Her name was struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 1 May 1980.
Operational history of theAlbacore consisted of five phases (and an unrealized sixth phase):[34]
A non-profit group, the Portsmouth Submarine Memorial Association, was formed to bring theAlbacore back to Portsmouth and place her on permanent display, designed to be on dry land so the entire submarine would be visible. TheAlbacore was towed back to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in April 1984, by anArmy Reservetugboat in a journey of 575 miles (925 km) that took 70 hours.[35]
In May 1985, she was moved acrossPortsmouth Harbor to a permanent display site.[35] The move was difficult, as a railway trestle had to be removed and a temporarycut, large enough to float her through, had to be made across a four-lane road.[35] During the move, theAlbacore struck bottom three times,[36] followed by a catastrophic derailment of the temporarymarine railway that had been constructed to bring her out of the water.[35] TheAlbacore was left grounded in mud, short of her final resting place.[35] Months later, a temporarycofferdam was constructed, she was re-floated, and on 3 October 1985, she was successfully placed in her permanent display cradle.[35] After significant volunteer work to prepare her for display, theAlbacore opened to the public on 30 August 1986.[35][37]
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 submarineSkipjack, 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,[38] and is open to the public. At this time, the Visitors Center at the USSAlbacore 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 USSAlbacore, the USSDolphin, the USSThresher, 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.[39] This means that the exhibit space in the original museum is going to focus entirely on the USSAlbacore and her history. Artifacts from the USSAlbacore 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 USSAlbacore. She is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places and was designated aNational Historic Landmark on 11 April 1989.[27][40] In 2005, theUnited States Submarine Veterans of World War II inducted theAlbacore into the Submarine Hall of Fame.[41] In 2016, the basin area around the submarine at Albacore Park was completely reconstructed.[42]
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Other U.S. Navy research submarines:
Chapter 9, The Quest for Speed
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.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.
43°04′57″N70°46′00″W / 43.082375°N 70.766737°W /43.082375; -70.766737
