USS Albacore (AGSS-569)

History

USS Albacore (AGSS-569) is a retired, unique research submarine that pioneered the American version of the teardrop 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. 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 Portsmouth Naval Shipyard of Kittery, Maine. She was launched on 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), and commissioned on 6 December 1953 with Lieutenant Commander Kenneth C. Gummerson in command.

The effectiveness of submarines in World War II convinced both the Soviet Navy and the United States Navy (USN) 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.

Text from Wikipedia: USS Albacore (AGSS-569), CC BY-SA 4.0, lightly trimmed.

Key dates

1. 1949
   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.
2. 1954
   Following preliminary acceptance trials, the new submarine departed Portsmouth on 8 April 1954 for shakedown training.
3. 1955
   The submarine departed Portsmouth on 12 October 1955 and sailed via Block Island for Key West, where she arrived on 19 October 1955 to commence ASW evaluation and to provide target services to the Operational Development Force's Surface Antisubmarine Development Detachment.
4. 1957
   She departed New London on 11 March 1957, for operations out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
5. 1959
   In 1959, a newly designed, 14-foot propeller was installed and tested.
6. 1968
   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.
7. 1970
   The boat 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, sponsored by the Naval Ship Research and Development Center at Carderock, Maryland.
8. 1980
   Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 May 1980.
9. 1985
   Months later, a temporary cofferdam was constructed, she was refloated, and on 3 October 1985, she was successfully placed in her permanent display cradle.

Dates and events quoted from the same Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Records that place someone aboard this ship

A ship history doesn't name everyone who served. These records do:

• Navy muster rolls, 1939–1949 (National Archives guide)
• Deck logs: how to get them (Naval History and Heritage Command)
• Crew lists research guide (NHHC)
• Search the National Archives Catalog for “USS Albacore (AGSS-569)”

More history

• National Park Service
• Naval History and Heritage Command (DANFS)
• Wikipedia: USS Albacore (AGSS-569)