350-041 SSN-597 TULLIBEE

The USS Tullibee (SSN-597) was an American nuclear powered fighter submarine (SSN), the keel of which was laid in May 1958, launched in April 1960, and entered service with the US Navy the same year. . The vessel was 83 m long, 7.2 m wide, and its underwater displacement was approximately 2,650 tons. In turn, the maximum underwater speed was up to 15 knots. The armament consisted of 4 bow 533 mm torpedo tubes. The USS Tullibee (SSN-597) was built at the General Dynamics Electric Boat Shipyard in Groton, Connecticut for the US Navy as a highly specialized anti-Soviet submarine vessel. It places particular emphasis on its maximum silencing, especially of the drive system, and the use of the most modern, even avant-garde, for its time, detection and electronic systems. The ship also received a new, very compact nuclear reactor, and the torpedo tubes were placed not in the bow, but under the conning tower. Finally, a very interesting structure was created, with considerable combat capabilities, which, however, was characterized by a relatively low underwater speed, clearly different from other nuclear-powered submarines, and above all with very high production costs. For this reason, the US Navy command decided not to continue the "Tullibee" ships, and its only representative remained in service until 1988.