Agency Details:

Friends Of The Albacore

The Friends of the Albacore's mission is to inform the public and preserve the history of this experimental submarine and to ensure the preservation of the USS Albacore Submarine Memorial Park.

Description:
The third Navy vessel to bear the name, the Auxiliary General Submarine (AGSS) Albacore holds a place in history as the first Navy-designed vessel with a true underwater hull of cylindrical shape that has become the standard for today's submarines worldwide.

Designed, built and maintained by the skilled engineers and craftsmen of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Albacore served as a sea-going test platform from 1953 to 1972. Albacore's teardrop-shaped hull was the prototype for the Navy's nuclear powered submarine force and was the first boat built specifically to operate underwater. A great number of innovative ideas were tried on Albacore before being incorporated for use on nuclear submarines. Some items were tried and discarded (dive brakes for rapid underwater deceleration) without incurring significant expense in time and money if tried on an active warship.

The Friends of the Albacore strive to inform the public of this historical vessel through self-guided audio tours at the USS Albacore Submarine Memorial Park located in Portsmouth, NH.

USS Albacore provides a unique opportunity to see where a crew of 55 worked and lived. Because Albacore rests totally out of the water, you will be able to appreciate some of the unusual features of this prototype submarine. The audio tour enables you to hear some of the experiences of her crew.

History:
The Friends of the Albacore Committee was created in January of 2004 as a result of a reunion of past shipmates in 2003.

The Friends Committee is made up of a group seven individuals, including submarine veterans and former employees of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Several of the members are former Albacore crew members some of whom travel from Connecticut and Rhode Island to attend monthly meetings in Portsmouth.

In addition to efforts to publicize the historic vessel, the Friends Committee has added several items to the Park. One is a granite bench which recognizes the efforts of Joe Sawtelle in bringing Albacore back to Portsmouth. Another is a memorial to the second USS Albacore (SS 218) lost in November 1944 during WW II. The Committee's current efforts include a memorial block program which honors former Albacore crew members and friends.

Contact person: James Sergeant, Albacore Park Manager, (phone), (email)

Address:

600 Market Street Portsmouth, NH 03801 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.ussalbacore.org/

Directions:

Albacore Park is located at 600 Market Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire 03801. From Interstate 95 North or South, take exit seven. At the bottom of the exit ramps, there are signs pointing toward the park. The entrance to Albacore Park. . . (more)

Miscellaneous Information

Type of organization
	Nonprofit 501(c)3
Is your organization a Health and Human Service agency?
	No

Last updated on June 19, 2009