Unique Ships of the U.S. Navy

Re:Unique Ships of the U.S. Navy by Animats on Saturday January 31, 2015 @01:45AM (#8976100)

USS Albacore, the first teardrop-shaped submarine. Before nuclear submarines, submarines spent most of their time on the surface and had surface ship hulls with a pointed keel and bow. USS Nautilus, the first nuclear submarine, was built that way as well. USS Albacore, which was not nuclear powered, was built as an experimental craft, designed to be fast and agile underwater. Albacore had an control system set up for a single pilot, using an aircraft-like yoke. The pilot even wore a seat belt.

Albacore performed quite well, and the Skipjack class nuclear submarines (1959) were modeled on Albacore. All later US (and Soviet) nuclear submarines followed that general shape. But the single pilot approach was not retained.

http://www.ussalbacore.org/html/albacore_story.html

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Re:Unique Ships of the U.S. Navy by rbc on Saturday January 31, 2015 @11:36AM (#8977097)

There is also the British R-class submarine from WW1. It was designed to be faster underwater than on the surface:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_R-class_submarine

That one made series production, ten being made. I wouldn't be surprised if the USS Albacore design team learned something from the British experience with hunter-killer submarines.

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Re:Unique Ships of the U.S. Navy by lorenzfx on Saturday January 31, 2015 @07:35AM (#8976574)

There were also three German midget submarines build for speed attacks with a teardrop shape in WW II:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphin

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