6. Portsmouth-Built Submarines of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

By Richard E. Winslow III

With the advent of World War I the history of shipbuilding in the Piscataqua region entered a new phase when the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was selected to build the first navy constructed submarine, the L-8, the first of 134 submarines to be built at this yard.

Here is the history of those submarines, a story not only of the exploits of the ships in battle but also the stories of the men and women, military and civilian, who designed and built submarines.

Between 1917 and 1941, thirty-three undersea vessels were constructed here including the Squalus. Portsmouth reached a high point during World War II when 75 vessels were built during the 1942-1945 period.v After the war Portsmouth began building nuclear powered boats and also became a pioneer in various aspects of submarine research, especially sonics and hydrodynamics. The Albacore, designed, built, and modified several times at Portsmouth, became the prototype for today’s modern submarine. Acquired by the Portsmouth Submarine Memorial Association, the Albacore is a key part of the planned Port of Portsmouth Maritime Museum.

This is a reprint of the original 1985 edition that has been out of print for several years.

ISBN 0-915819-28-7    $15 paperback

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