NH’s USS Albacore: Make Big memories in a Submarine!

A fun family destination or field trip is in Portsmouth, NH aboard the real submarine, the USS Albacore!

We loaded up our family (grandparents in town an in tow) and headed to the New Hampshire seacoast to hop on a self-guided tour through the historic USS Albacore. The sheer size of it outside is deceiving to how cramped and confined living and dining quarters were inside.

Both within the museum area and the submarine, there are periscopes to look out and scope the surrounding streets and neighborhood areas (imagine sitting on your porch being spied on from this sub museum!)

There are plenty of hands-on opportunities to touch and switch buttons, move controllers around, and even hit audio recordings to learn as you go. While there is a lot to see and explore without the recorded audio, it will help pace you and make the experience more meaningful, memorable, and educational!

Watch your step! There are many different steps up and down, ladders, and what seem like interior portholes (but small doors) to climb through. While there are plenty of engaging opportunities, as can be expected, there are also many areas that are restricted and off-limits, predominantly for safety reasons. The majority of the self-guided tour in one main level. My father who uses a cane (and a mobility scooter while not trying to tour a sub), was able to navigate the mostly single-level experience. I was wearing a baby in a baby carrier. So while it’s not handicap accessible or otherwise stroller, scooter, or wheelchair friendly, it is also not a strenuous one-way adventure through the entire submarine.

Key topics to plan to talk about at the USS Albacore

• They only ran on an 18 hour clock; sailors are typically awake and working for about 12 hours and asleep for about six hours. This led to a strange reacclimation to a 24 hour world for many sailors.
• Anyone aboard could be underwater for months before resurfacing.
• Could you handle the close quarters and very cramped sleeping spaces?
• They moved around based on radar, compass, and positions of the sun when using a periscope, which could be the only sunlight a person on the sub might see for weeks and months.

USS Albacore Submarine Field Trip Prep

• Naval Submarines – It’s great to have a basic understanding of the submarine force before touring the inside of a sub.
• Periscopes – there are a few on the grounds, but before you come, talk about how exactly a periscope works and potentially even construct a small model of your own.

• Morse Code – you can pre-schedule a class to learn some Morse code, but you can also read books, watch videos, and otherwise come prepared to decipher the code in person.
• Pressure and Buoyancy – explore whether things will sink or float and why. Discuss this in relation to a submarine!
• Submarine Technology – Take some time to learn about pitch, radio and radar technology and more. There are some great resources on Sub Committee!

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