USS Albacore, Research submarine museum in Portsmouth, United States

USS Albacore is a research submarine displayed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The cylindrical teardrop hull differs visibly from older elongated designs and gives the vessel its rounded appearance above the waterline.

The vessel was launched in 1953 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and tested new propulsion technologies until 1972. Experiments led to improvements in submarine construction for later fleet models.

The name Albacore refers to the albacore tuna, a fast-swimming fish; this was the third US Navy vessel to bear it. Visitors today see the submarine preserved in a dry dock at Albacore Park in Portsmouth, where it was designated a National Historic Landmark on 11 April 1989.

The submarine sits in a dry dock at Albacore Park, 600 Market Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and visitors enter and move through it on a self-guided route. The hull is displayed out of the water, so the rounded bow and the fin marked 593 can be seen from the park before going aboard.

The vessel reached approximately 65 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour) underwater and set speed records at the time. The teardrop shape later became a model for nuclear submarines in the fleet.