A Sightseer's Guide to EngineeringNational Society of Professional EngineersNational Engineer's Week
 


The USS Albacore served for 20 years as an experimental vessel, carrying out tests of speed, depth changes, and underwater maneuverability. In May 2000, the world's fastest submarine was designated a historic mechanical engineering landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.


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NEW HAMPSHIRE Printable version
USS Albacore, Port of Portsmouth Maritime Museum & Albacore Park
600 Market Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801-3361
603/436-3680
Web Site
Take a guided tour through the 205-foot-long world-famous submarine. Admission $4; 16 and under, $2. 
Hours of Operation: Open daily 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Closed major holidays. Need a map?
Built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and launched in 1953, the Albacore was the first U.S.-designed vessel with a true teardrop-shaped hull design. Faster, more maneuverable, and quieter than earlier hull shapes, engineers use the teardrop hull in nearly all modern submarine design. The Albacore was rebuilt several times to test design concepts. The fourth variation enabled the Albacore in 1966 to set the world's underwater speed record of more than 30 knots. Until 1972, when the vessel was decommissioned, the Albacore also was used to test engineering innovations in sonar devices, hydrophones, diving brakes, and emergency escape systems.
 
Who Made It: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
 
Photo Credit: Courtesy Ralph Morang