USS Albacore Museum — Attraction in Portsmouth

The USS Albacore is a retired US Navy submarine that is open for all to see. The Albacore was built in the 1950’s in Portsmouth, NH. At the time of its launch in 1953 it had a revolutionary design. The design, operations, and life of the crew are all explained very well on the self-guided tour of the submarine. The submarine could hold a crew of about 54. On the self-guided tour of the submarine you can see the spaces where the crew operated, ate, and slept on the submarine. As you go through the submarine there are red buttons located throughout the cabin. After hitting the button a voice will come on explaining the significance of the part of the sub you’re looking at. It’s really unique that the person talking at each station served on the submarine. Perhaps, the most interesting part of the sub tour is seeing the living quarters for the crew. As you would imagine it’s incredibly small and narrow. You will also have to duck your head down at certain points as you walk through the submarine. You will also get to see the controls of the submarine. The sonar system is interesting and again was revolutionary when first used. On top of that the diesel engine and electric batteries for operation are all visible. When you’re done on the submarine there is a small museum inside the visitor center. It has interesting naval artifacts. This is an excellent site to see in the Portsmouth area. The submarine is a well preserved piece of history. Outside the visitor center are some nice monuments dedicated to those who served. Tours are easy to do and there is a lot to learn...

Officially called USS Albacore (AGSS 569), the vessel was built in nearby Portsmouth Naval Yard and was used to conduct underwater experiments. Now open as a museum, the boat was named a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1953 and a National Historic Landmark in 1989, along with belonging to the Historic Naval Ships Association. Tours are self-guided, and visitors press buttons on speakers to hear museum employees and former crew members tell the story of the boat. Visiting the USS Albacore brings mixed emotions, as exploring the successful research vessel and listening to the well-scripted tour is mostly lighthearted and educational fun, but the grounds are filled with reminders of death. While an overall delightful experience, some visitors might be unsettled by the memorials. Tickets for the U.S.S. Albacore are $11 for adults, $8 for seniors and veterans, $5 for children, and $0 for active duty military and New England Museum Association (NEMA) members (like me!). Like any military submarine, U.S.S. Albacore is not accessible to those using wheelchairs or with limited mobility. A self-guided online tour allows remote visitors to see images...

This small museum holds one of the most unique submarines in American naval history. Conceived post WWII, it was developed to test a new hull form, a radical departure from the previous submarine designs. The unique hull shape of this diesel powered submarine was later employed for the nuclear Powered Skipjack class, and a variant of this hull design for all subsequent US nuclear submarines.

You can tour through the entire submarine to visit a.ll compartments. The submarine could use a bit more explanatory signage of the various areas, and some of the unique internal features, such as the control station and the twin rotary engine diesels.. Externally, one can see the unique hull design as the submarine is on supports and sits in a shallow dry basin. The basic is all that remains of an artificial canal that connected to the nearby river through which the submarine was moved to its display area. The canal was then backfilled.

There is also a small museum building with some artifacts,...