: Many older Balao-class submarines were reclassified as AGSS to serve as trainers or sonar targets before being retired.
: Served for 38 years (1968–2007), the longest career of any Navy submarine at the time of its retirement.
Two ships stand out as the most significant examples of this class: auxiliary research submarine
Details on the used for deep-sea acoustic testing. Tigrone (SS-419) (SSR-419) (AGSS-419) - NavSource
The USS Dolphin was the Navy’s last diesel-electric deep-diving research boat. : Many older Balao-class submarines were reclassified as
💡 : The "Auxiliary Research" designation allowed the Navy to fail safely; experiments on these ships led to the breakthroughs that made the modern submarine force the most quiet and lethal in the world. If you'd like to dive deeper, The service history of a specific AGSS hull number.
: Featured the revolutionary "teardrop" hull, optimized for underwater speed rather than surface travel. Tigrone (SS-419) (SSR-419) (AGSS-419) - NavSource The USS
The USS Albacore was perhaps the most influential research submarine ever built.