USS Albacore introduced the teardrop-shaped hull that became standard for high-speed underwater vessels.
Launched in 1953, the United States Navy’s experimental USS Albacore was designed around underwater speed rather than the surface performance emphasized by earlier submarines. Its smooth, rounded body resembled the shape of a fish, reducing drag while submerged. The design was a major change from the more ship-like hulls used by many earlier submarines.
Albacore’s experiments influenced later American boats, especially the Skipjack class, and the teardrop form became a defining feature of modern submarines. The vessel also tested control arrangements and hydrodynamic ideas that helped designers understand how submarines behaved at high underwater speeds.
A common mix-up is confusing Albacore with USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine. Nautilus pioneered nuclear propulsion, whereas Albacore’s lasting contribution was hull form and underwater handling. USS Albacore is preserved as a museum ship in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.