USS Albacore (AGSS-569)

USS Albacore (AGSS-569) was the experimental submarine that changed the shape of every submarine that followed her. Launched in 1953 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, her revolutionary teardrop hull form was designed to maximize submerged speed and hydrodynamic efficiency. Never armed and never deployed on operational patrols, Albacore served purely as a research platform, but her impact on naval architecture was more profound than most combat ships could claim. Every American nuclear submarine from the Skipjack-class onward adopted the hull form she proved. Through multiple configurations and phases of testing, Albacore's crew and the Naval engineers who studied her data transformed submarine design from the cigar-shaped hulls of the war years into the streamlined forms that define modern undersea warfare. She is preserved today as a museum ship in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Our USS Albacore (AGSS-569) collection honors the boat that quietly revolutionized the submarine force. Built for submarine veterans, naval engineers, and military history enthusiasts who appreciate the science behind the weapon.