RC Subtech Albacore Project
This model was designed by Subtech with the beginning submariner in mind. The model features a plastic hull, and a simple but effective pump-style ballast system. Ig to this model with two others from a local friend who was getting out of the hobby. When done, it should be a fun little model for puttering around the pool! It is 40" in length, which works out to approximately 1/60 scale.
| Displacement: |
1240 ft light, 1540 tons full, 300 tons dead |
| Length: |
62.1 meters (204 ft) overall, 60.9 meters (200 feet) waterline |
| Beam: |
8.2 meters (27 feet) |
| Draft: |
6.7 meters (22 feet) |
| Propulsion: |
Two Diesels, one electric motor |
| Speed: |
Surfaced : 25 knots
Submerged : 33 knots |
| Range: |
varied with configuration |
| Complement: |
5 officers, 49 men |
| Armament: |
none |
USS Albacore holds a place in history as the first U.S. Navy-designed vessel with a true submarine hull form, in which surface characteristics were subordinated to underwater performance. She possessed no weapon systems; her sole function was to conduct experiments. During her early trials, she set a new underwater speed record with improved control. From 1955 to 1971, Albacore served in five distinct phases of experimentation, carrying out tests of speed, depth changes and underwater maneuvering. Through a series of configurations, she provided the model for all future U.S. Navy and many foreign submarines that followed.
U.S. Navy scientists used Albacore as a floating laboratory to test sonar devices, hydrophones, diving brakes and emergency escape systems. She also served as a high-speed, almost noiseless target for anti-submarine warfare. In 1966, she again set a new submerged speed record, earning a reputation as the world's fastest submarine. Albacore was retired from service in 1972, and transferred to the Portsmouth Submarine Memorial Association in 1984. She was placed in a permanent dry berth and opened to the public in October 1985.
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