USS Albacore (AGSS-569) is a retired research submarine whose teardrop hull pioneered the American version of that form for modern submarines. This revolutionary design grew out of extensive hydrodynamic and wind tunnel testing, all aimed at underwater speed and maneuverability. She was the third vessel of the United States Navy to be named for the albacore.
Her keel was laid down on 15 March 1952 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard of Kittery, Maine, and she was launched on 1 August 1953, sponsored by Mrs. J. E. Jowers, the widow of Chief Motor Machinist's Mate Arthur L. Stanton, who was lost with the second Albacore (SS-218). She was commissioned on 6 December 1953 with Lieutenant Commander Kenneth C. Gummerson in command. The story of Albacore sits at the crossroads of wartime lessons and technological hope: the effectiveness of submarines in World War II convinced both the Soviet Navy and the United States Navy that undersea warfare would matter even more, and the advent of nuclear power nourished hopes for new kinds of warships.
Notice the smooth, teardrop curve of the hull and picture the tests that shaped it.