Albacore Park
Albacore Park is a visitor park in Portsmouth centered on the USS Albacore, a former naval submarine now permanently grounded. Guests walk through its interior spaces including the control room, engine compartments, and crew quarters to see how the vessel operated underwater.
The USS Albacore was built at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in the early 1950s and served nearly two decades as a testing platform for new submarine designs. After its decommissioning in the early 1970s, it opened to the public as a park in 1986.
The USS Albacore takes its name from a type of tuna and represents the submarine research history that shaped Portsmouth's identity. Visitors experience a place where this maritime past remains alive and visible through the preserved vessel and its stories.
The park is easily accessible during spring and summer months with extended hours in warmer seasons, though it closes for several months in winter. Small children and those using wheelchairs may encounter difficulty boarding due to limited interior space and narrow passages.
Visitors can actually look through a working periscope that offers views similar to what sailors saw during active duty. This hands-on experience connects the past directly to the present in a way few naval museums provide.
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