1953 Albacore,

Albacore was designed with the sole intention of testing new hull forms. To this end, she was radically different to any other submarine that had come before her. Since Albacore was constructed as a test bed for hull form, and a good deal of her hull was taken up with propulsion machinery and a large battery, torpedo tubes were not included in the design. At one stage in her operational life Albacore was fitted with high capacity silver zinc batteries, which made her the fastest submarine in the world at the time. Albacore went through several distinct phases in her career, testing many new systems along the way. Some of these were different stern configurations, propeller types (including a set of contra-rotating props), dive brakes around the center of the hull and a rudder on the trailing edge of the sail. Many of the lessons learned from Albacore were incorporated into the nuclear Skipjack class.

Albacore Dimensions

Length  -   209 feet
Beam  -  22 feet
Displacement  -  1500/1847 tons
Speed  -  25+ knots submerged
Test Depth  -  600 feet.