- USS Albacore (AGSS-569)
USS "Albacore" (AGSS-569) was a unique research
submarine that pioneered the American version of theteardrop hull form (sometimes referred to as an "Albacore" hull") of modern submarines. The design was directly influenced by the Type XXIU-boat submarine, and the Soviets had already gained a lead over the US by producing several of these advanced designs. It was the third ship of theUnited States Navy to be named for thealbacore , a smalltuna found in temperate seas throughout the world.Her keel was laid down on March 15, 1952 by the
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard ofKittery, Maine . She was launched on August 1, 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), and commissioned on December 6, 1953 with Lieutenant Commander Kenneth C. Gummerson in command.The effectiveness of submarines in
World War II convinced both the Soviets 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 suchwarship s 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 the
Iron 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 convertingcarbon dioxide back tooxygen , submarine designers turned their attention to vessels which could operate for long periods without breaking the surface. 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 IS Bureau of Ships to determine what hull form would be best for submerged operation. TheDavid Taylor Model Basin tested a series of proposed 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 . The single-screw version was adopted, and construction of an experimental submarine to this design was authorized on November 25, 1950. This ship was classified as an auxiliary submarine (AGSS-569) and named "Albacore".Evaluations
Following preliminary acceptance trials, the new submarine departed Portsmouth on April 8, 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 so that she might evaluate different design concepts. In this way, she helped the Navy to develop better hull configurations for future submarine classes. On this initial cruise, she operated out of
New London, Connecticut , before sailing forKey West, Florida , to conduct operations out of that port and inCuba n 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 in an effort to eliminate technical problems.The submarine departed
Portsmouth, New Hampshire , on October 12, 1955 and sailed viaBlock Island, Rhode Island , forKey West, Florida , where she arrived on October 19, 1955 to commence antisubmarine warfare evaluation and to provide target services to the Operational Development Force's Surface Antisubmarine Development Detachment. On November 4, 1955, AdmiralArleigh Burke ,Chief of Naval Operations , embarked on "Albacore" for a brief demonstration cruise. On November 19, 1955, "Albacore" sailed for a rendezvous point off theBahama Islands where she conducted special operations until November 24, 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, Connecticut , on March 11, 1957, for operations out ofSan Juan, Puerto Rico , and Guantanamo Bay,Cuba . The submarine returned toBoston, Massachusetts , on 2 April 1957 and operated locally out of Boston and Portsmouth until entering thePortsmouth Naval Shipyard early in 1958 for an overhaul which lasted until June.The ensuing tests emphasized sound reduction and included extensive evaluation of
Aquaplas , a sound dampening elastic which had been applied to the ship's superstructure and tank interiors. In October 1958, her bow planes were removed to cut down still more on noise. The submarine ended the year with a fortnight's run to HalifaxNova Scotia , and back to serve as a target ship for Canadian warships.In 1959, a newly designed 14-foot propeller was installed and tested. "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 undergoingwidely varied tests for theDavid Taylor Model Basin . One of the more unusual consisted of evaluating a concave bow sonar dome.Testing more equipment
On November 21, 1960, the ship entered the
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard 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. 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
sonar system and, on December 7, 1962, work began on her fourth major conversion which included the installation of concentriccontra-rotating propellers , of a high-capacitysilver-zinc battery and of a larger main motor. New radio equipment, BQS and BQR sonars, an emergency recovery system, and a new main ballast tank blow system were also added. After the work was completed in March 1965, "Albacore" prepared for deployment toFlorida waters to study the results of her changes. She returned to Portsmouth on October 8, 1962 and continued to evaluate her capabilities under the new configuration. On August 1, she reentered thePortsmouth Naval Shipyard to replace the silver-zinc battery and to shorten the distance between the contra-rotating propellers—work which lasted into August 1967.Standardization and machinery tests in the
Gulf of Maine during September were followed by evaluation of towed sonar arrays offPort Everglades, Florida , in October and November. Then came acoustics trials in theTongue of the Ocean , a deep channel in the CentralBahama Islands .On January 1, 1968, the submarine returned to Portsmouth for a modification of her propulsion system which kept her in the navy yard until 19 April. Then, following a month of trials in the
Gulf of Maine , she headed south for evaluation of her new MONOB I and AUTEC systems and of Fly-Around-Body (FAB), Phase I, equipment on Tongue of the Ocean. She returned to Portsmouth on August 24, 1968 for AUTEC deinstrumentation and installation of FAB Phase II equipment. Then, following evaluation of this new gear in theGulf of Maine , the "Albacore" returned to Portsmouth on 30 September and went into reduced operating status pending the results of further studies on the feasibility of using her thereafter for further research.The ship remained for the most part inactive until February 2, 1970 when she began an overhaul in drydock and modifications to prepare her for
Project Surpass , a research and development project sponsored by the Naval Ship Research and Development Center atCarderock, Maryland . The ship left drydock on April 16, 1971, commenced sea trials on July 22, 1971, and completed them on August, 1971. Early in October, she operated offProvincetown, Massachusetts , to calibrate her sonar and radar equipment.Decommissioning, becomes historic landmark
Infobox_nrhp | name =USS ALBACORE (Submarine)
nrhp_type =nhl
caption = USS "Albacore" on display in Portsmouth, NH, March 2006.
location=Portsmouth, New Hampshire
area =
built =1949
locmapin=New Hampshire
architect= Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
architecture=
designated= April 11, 1989cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=2051&ResourceType=Structure
title=USS ALBACORE (Submarine)|accessdate=2007-10-13|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service]
added = April 11, 1989cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]
governing_body = Local
refnum=89001077After 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. "Albacore" was decommissioned on December 9, 1972 and laid up at
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . Her name was struck from theNaval Vessel Register on May 1, 1980, and she was towed back to Portsmouth late in April 1984. When being towed to her drydock, the Albacore became stuck in the mud of Portsmouth Harbor. In 1985, she was dedicated as a memorial."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" (SSN-585) 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 the Port of Portsmouth Maritime Museum and "Albacore" Park, 600 Market Street,
Portsmouth, New Hampshire . She is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places , reference number 89001077. She was designated a National Historic Landmark on April 11, 1989.citation|title=PDFlink| [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/89001077.pdf National Register of Historic Places Registration: USS Albacore (AGSS-569)] |765 KiB |date=July 28, 1988 |author=Kevin J. Foster |publisher=National Park Service and PDFlink| [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/89001077.pdf Accompanying 1 photo, from 1988.] |63.3 KiB ]References
External links
* [http://portsmouthnh.com/thingstodo Albacore Museum and Park] , from Portsmouthnh.com
* [http://www.hnsa.org/ships/albacore.htm HNSA Web Page: USS Albacore]
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