Albacore

[FrankMi]

An Albacore is an almost perfectly streamlined small tuna able to swim at great speeds. It is found in warm seas throughout the world.

The USS Albacore holds a place in history as the first submarine with a true underwater hull of cylindrical shape that has become the standard for submarines today. Built in 1953, her mission was experimental to test control systems, dive brakes, sonar equipment, escape mechanisms and various innovative theories.

Built in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the Albacore was a floating laboratory. Her streamlined hull made her the fastest and most maneuverable submarine of the day. When outfitted with her special high capacity silver-zinc battery, could out run a contemporary nuclear submarine. In 1966, she set the record as the world's fastest submarine having attained an underwater speed of nearly 40 miles per hour.

Check out this link For additional interesting information on the USS Albacore.

I had a chance to tour and photograph the Albacore in Portsmouth, NH. I hope that some of you will find the images and associated story line interesting.

Image #1 - Outside View


The first interior image is of the control room. You can see the periscope and just to the right, the ladder leading up to the conning tower above.

Image #2 - Control Room


From just to the left of the periscope we can see the Steering and Diving controls. ...and <sigh> for some reason the image is a bit soft....

Image #3 - Steering and Diving Controls


Here we can see the fifth major version of control surfaces and counter-rotating propellers.

Image #4 - Control Surfaces and Propellers


To drive the propellers a diesel-electric system, common in submarines of this era was used. What was not common was the design of the two 16 cylinder, vertically mounted diesel radial engines used to generate the electricity to drive the propellers.

This is what the engine diagram looks like:

Image #5 - Diesel Radial Engine Diagram


Inside the Engine Room, this is the top of one of the two diesel engines.

Image #6 - One of Two Diesel Engines


The complement of sailors on the Albacore was 55 and owing to the research activities being conducted, sometimes a number of additional personnel. The food on submarines is usually the best of all Navy ships. Here is part of the kitchen and crew's mess, which doubles as relaxation space.

Image #7 - Kitchen and Crew's Mess


When there are additional personnel on board, some of the sailors get to switch over to a 'hot bunk' rotation where the same bunk is used by more than one crew member - one sleeps while another is on duty.

In this image of a top bunk, you can see how much space some of the crew members had for sleeping. John mentions 'close quarters', I couldn't even roll over in that space, let alone climb up there!

Image #8 - Crew Bunk


This is the space between the Diesel Engines and the Electric Motors that drive the propellers.

Image #9 - Propulsion Machine Space


In case of an emergency, there is a Forward and Aft Escape Hatch and Trunk (the space between the inner and outer hatches). If the water isn't too deep, several sailors could climb up into this chamber, seal the inner hatch below them, let in the seawater, then open the outer hatch above to get out. Once outside, one of them has to seal the outer hatch before heading for the surface. The water in the trunk can then be drained and the process started again for the next few sailors. If the water is below dive depth for the sailors, then a diving bell from a rescue ship would need to be attached to the outside of the outer hatch.

Image #10 Aft Escape Hatch and Trunk


As we near the end of our tour we are looking aft at the twin electric motors on the left, one for each of the counter rotating propellers.

Image # 11 Electric Motors


I hope you have enjoyed the tour!

[Shadowman]

Nice images, those close quarters were made for an UWA shot.

[IzzieK]

Very interesting Frank...it must have been a pain touring that cramped place...

[John 2]

Interesting set of images Frank. The interior images are particularly interesting and the softness isn't at all distracting to me.

[Otavio]

Very interesting, Frank, especially the indoors; looking for more images. Cheers,

[pnodrog]

Interesting and I imagine it was very hi tech at the time. I wonder what a modern sub control room looks like now.

[Dave Humphries]

Interesting thread and pictures Frank.

I'd love to spend a week alone in something like that (not underwater, I hasten to add), just to be able to explore it uninterrupted with standard, macro and UWA lenses - for some unusual angles on unusual subjects.

I guess if you pick your time, it can be very quiet anyway - do they limit numbers aboard for H&S reasons?

Cheers, Dave

[Ziggy]

Enjoyed viewing, interesting.

[FrankMi]

Nice images, those close quarters were made for an UWA shot.

Indeed it is John. Unfortunately I didn't have my DSLR and Tokina 11-16mm lens on this trip.

[FrankMi]

Very interesting Frank...it must have been a pain touring that cramped place...

It wasn't as cramped as some submarines I have been on Izzie. That may be due to the fact that it has be retrofitted a bit for the tourist trade but possibly also because this was a research vessel and never carried any weapons.

[FrankMi]

Interesting set of images Frank. The interior images are particularly interesting and the softness isn't at all distracting to me.

Thank you John. Hope to have more images to post soon!

[FrankMi]

Very interesting, Frank, especially the indoors; looking for more images. Cheers,

Thank you Otávio. I will have more shots coming soon and a very interesting one of tail fin and counter rotating propellers used in it's last experimental retrofit.

[FrankMi]

Interesting and I imagine it was very hi tech at the time. I wonder what a modern sub control room looks like now.

Hi Pnodrog, I'm sure the electronics technology in particular has improved vastly in the last 60 years.

[FrankMi]

Interesting thread and pictures Frank.

I'd love to spend a week alone in something like that (not underwater, I hasten to add), just to be able to explore it uninterrupted with standard, macro and UWA lenses - for some unusual angles on unusual subjects.

I guess if you pick your time, it can be very quiet anyway - do they limit numbers aboard for H&S reasons?

Cheers, Dave

Hi Dave,

It was fairly quiet while I was there and not difficult to get shots clear of other tourists. I wish I had taken more shots than I did but I was trying to limit the subject matter to things that looked interesting and hopefully that I knew something about. Unlike the nuclear sub Nautilus on display at the New London submarine base in Connecticut, you can tour the entire Albacore, including the engine room. Cheers!

[FrankMi]

Enjoyed viewing, interesting.

Glad you liked what you see so far Jim. More to come but first I am trying to get glass reflections off of a Brown Trout!

[rpcrowe]

Interesting and I imagine it was very hi tech at the time. I wonder what a modern sub control room looks like now.

Try this YouTube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv_rhid1sLg

[FrankMi]

Try this YouTube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv_rhid1sLg

Great link Richard! I think I spent over an hour watching this and several other submarine videos at this location.

[Mike Buckley]

Yikes! I somehow overlooked this interesting series!

[Donald]

Yikes! I somehow overlooked this interesting series!

So did I.

If you've just processed these, Frank, I think we can say that the rustiness from the enforced long lay-off, has now been cleared away. The interior shots are great. How were they being lit?

[FrankMi]

Good to know that they are interesting to some folks, Mike. Thanks for the feedback.

If you've just processed these, Frank, I think we can say that the rustiness from the enforced long lay-off, has now been cleared away. The interior shots are great. How were they being lit?

Hi Donald. Thankfully it doesn't take too long. I know I'm still not up to my previous workflow but getting closer. The interior is primarily green, which is thankful owing to the lighting being mostly fluorescent. Thank you for taking an interest!

I've been adding images to the original post to keep them together for folks viewing the thread for the first time. Unfortunately, updating an existing post doesn't put the thread back on the top of the New Posts list.