With the motto Praenuntius Futuri (Forerunner of the Future), the USS Albacore was commissioned in 1953 as an experimental vessel to test submarine hydrodynamics and ended up revolutionizing submarine design.
The pioneering shape of her hull, when combined with the nuclear power technology of the USS Nautilus resulted in the USS Skipjack, the first submarine capable of sustained underwater high performance.
Today, the USS Albacore is a National Historic Landmark and the centerpiece of Albacore Park in Portsmouth, NH, not far from the shipyard where she was built. This month, as part of gasworld’s examination of welding and automation applications, we take a look at how this historic welded structure was instrumental in the introduction of new materials and the development of welding applications still in use today.
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