USS Albacore – AGSS 569

Amazing! So much fun to walk through with my fiancée and explore this old historic submarine. The sub was in great condition. The audio tour was neat. A great way to spend an afternoon.

I love it here. I used to bring all my friends here to see this sub when I was a teenager. My dad was in the Navy for 22 years, I am completely fascinated by Navy artifacts and memorabilia. Its not often you can cram yourself into an old sub and be transported back in time. It blows my mind that so many men could live on that sub at one time.
If you’re in Portsmouth and have some time to kill, stop by the USS Albacore, check out the sub and the little gift shop. Its a self guided tour and takes about 30 – 45 minutes to see everything.
Admissions fees are very reasonable.
Adults — $ 7.00
Children 7 – 17 — $ 3.00; Children under 7 — free
Active duty military — free
Retired military (20 years) — $ 4.00
Family — $ 14.00 (2 adults and 1 or 2 children under the age of 18

I loved it. Super awesome. Going through the sub was amazing. You can actually turn and twist all the knobs you want. Periscope actually works. The entire sub has audio clips you can play to learn more about it during your self guided tour. Super tight quarters. So cool!

We were in the area, and looking for random stuff to do. This popped up in google so we gave it a chance. It was interesting! It doesn’t take too long. Just the kind of thing we were looking to do. It was worth the stop.

For the price this is a great place to bring your kids to kill some time. The staff is friendly and the entire sub is hands on for the kids.

This is my second visit this year to a submarine on display and open for tours. Earlier, this Spring, I visited the USS Cavalla at Seawolf Park in Galveston. Both are great experiences — if for no other reason than to gain that empathetic perspective of seeing what it means to have lived on a boat.
Albacore is a bit more refined, in the presentation. Where Cavalla has some labeling to explain the workings of the boat on a self-​guided tour, the Albacore has about a dozen pre-​recorded messages located throughout the tour, to explain what is being seen in that section. Also, included at most stops, is an anecdote recorded by a former crewman, related to that section.
Getting through the water-​tight doors can be a bit tricky. Difficult to believe 50 people lived and worked on this craft.
As an R&D laboratory, the Albacore underwent several interesting evolutions. This is a remarkable vessel. Museum and tour offer insights into this, as well as some general history of the US Navy’s development of submarines. Staff, in the museum building, were very friendly.
Nice park grounds to linger and ponder. The tour can be covered in less than an hour, and the park is next to downtown Portsmouth.

Subs are cool. Not many you can walk through on an unguided tour. If you are in the area, worth a 30 minute stop. If you are not, don’t drive here just for this.

I had never been in a submarine before, and I must say I would do poorly on a real one underwater. This is a unique experience not to be missed if you are coming to Portsmouth. The sub is from another era gone by, so not only do you get the feel of what sub is like — but to see the technology from another era just takes it to another level. The giftshop/​learning center rounds out the whole experience. We didn’t use all the audio tour buttons on our way through but did ask the guys in the shop plenty of questions. It’s also a chance to take a moment in our busy and safe lives and recognize all the men and women who have served on subs throughout history.

Got the family deal for $ 12 well worth it. Drive by it all the time and always wanted to do it. Glad we stopped

This was a great place to visit. For $ 6 you can explore the inside of the submarine. It’s crazy to see how crammed in everything is. I loved learning about the history of it. It’s also pretty cool that it’s dry docked as you really get a feeling for how big it is since you can see the whole thing.
For such a small price you should definitely visit too.

A real piece of important maritime history and engineering.
If a visitor from afar this is as good as it gets for a rainy day activity.
Welcome aboard!!!

We were disappointed by this sub. We could not find the torpedo tubes and the guns on it. –1 star each. We looked everywhere on the sub, you could really go most places on the sub (it was pre-​reactor), and while you could see everything, you could not see the torpedo tubes. I guess they took them out when they dry docked it.
But, otherwise, it was a great deal on the tickets and the guys in the shop knew their stuff, and the books were interesting.

Always a great time and worth the stop. New England is full of great submarine historical spots and activities. Take advantage.
For just 5 bucks, or 10 for a family of 4, you can help to preserve history and crawl through a submarine. It will give you a whole new perspective on what these guy really went through, nit what Hollywood would have you believe. I honestly don’t know how they lived like this. It is full of amazing history.

Nice tour. Makes you wonder how anyone can stay inside this for more than 10 min. Can’t imagine being inside and under water too. Thanks to all the service people to be in one weather in war or training I know I couldn’t do it. But loved the tour and liked to see what it looked and feel like being in a real sub, do thanks to the albacore and museum best $ 5.00 I invested in

Was driving up to Maine (Kittery) the other day and 1A was closed over the Portsmouth Navy Yard Bridge so I was taking a detour & then all of a sudden I looked over & there it was… This HUGE submarine just sitting there…
Saw the sign for Museum & Gift Shop but figured What the Hell, theres a huge submarine sitting there, so I cut across 4 lanes of traffic in proper Boston fashion & pulled into the lot (which was empty) — the place was completely closed…
But the Ship was completely accessible (the outside at least)…
My dad was in the Navy and my son is at a stage in his life where he likes Boats & Trucks, so he was kinda Psyched to see it… Although it was VERY cold…
Took several pics, Posed, looked around at all the things in the park area…
Will def come back this summer to take a tour! It was kinda cool! Love stuff like this!

Not a military fan, but this gives respect for technology & men who were willing to endure discomfort & danger to try it out. Awesome.

For just $ 5, why wouldn’t you want to scrunch, hunch and stumble through an actual 50s-​era submarine and marvel at how small, tight, cramped and uninviting for human life these things actually were?
To some it’s just an old sub in a ditch. To others, including old Navy veterans and many locals who have the Portsmouth Navy Yard in their veins, this is much more than a sub in a ditch. How much more depends on who you talk to.
A roadside attraction worth stopping for. To enhance your visit, go through the official Web site and learn all about the boat’s history. It is fascinating.

The Albacore is an awesome reminder of the cold war. It’s cramped and couldn’t have been enjoyable for the men who sailed in her after the first few hours. Go see it once, then go see the Nautilus in Groton, Connecticut. And when you’re done and you can imagine the inside of a submarine, learn about the USS Thresher. This is very scary stuff when you think about it and it’s why many people automatically thank anyone who has served.
Why not five stars? I wish there was more to the museum, but maybe that would give me nightmares.

If you want a real WWII reality check, visit the USS Albacore.
I didn’t, and couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
It is authentic and cool, just clausterphobic.

I know Portsmouth, NH doesn’t have many Unilocal reviews, but I was shocked to see that this place wasn’t even listed.
I was brought here once or twice as a child and it was one of my favorite museums. The submarine itself was pretty impressive considering its age and the duties it performed.
The submarine itself was built about 5 – 10 minutes north at Portsmouth Naval Yard in Kittery, Maine. (Don’t ask why the Portsmouth Yard is in Maine… I never figured it out.) It was commisioned in 1953 and used mostly as a research submarine. Unfortunately it only had 19 years of seatime and was decommissioned in 1972. From what I have read, it was never an actual warship during the Korean War and Vietnam War, but was used during that time for training and research exercises with other countries that the United States were allied with.
I think that if you have a family you should bring the kids here. The submarine is a national landmark and worth stopping in on the way if you are on I-​95 or Route 1.
The admission prices are low and i’d pay to visit this once again… then again I am prior Navy so this stuff always impresses me.
ADMISSION
Adults, $ 5.00
Children 7 – 17, $ 3.00; Children under 7, free
Military, $ 4.00
Family, $ 10.00 (2 adults and 1 or 2 children under the age of 18)