USS Tullibee (SSN-597): A Quiet Pioneer with a Tragic End

USS Tullibee (SSN-597) was one of the most unconventional and experimental nuclear submarines built by the United States Navy during the Cold War. Designed primarily as a hunter-killer submarine, Tullibee featured a radically different layout from her contemporaries, including turbo-electric drive and a bow-mounted sonar sphere that influenced later submarine designs. Her mission profile focused on tracking and destroying enemy submarines rather than surface combat.

Commissioned in 1960, Tullibee represented an important step in quieting technology and sonar development at a time when underwater detection and acoustic superiority were becoming decisive factors in naval warfare. Despite her advanced concepts, she remained a one-of-a-kind vessel and did not lead to a direct production class.

USS Tullibee was tragically lost on 15 May 1968 during deep-diving trials in the Atlantic Ocean, likely due to a malfunction involving her torpedo systems. All 99 crew members were lost. Her sinking occurred during a year marked by multiple submarine disasters worldwide, underscoring the inherent risks of Cold War undersea operations.

This 1/350 scale model depicts USS Tullibee in her Cold War configuration and was finished using acrylic paints with oil weathering kept deliberately restrained. The model is mounted on a hand-cut hardwood base consistent with the rest of the submarine series and includes the national flag of origin, a 1/350 scale human figure for size reference, and a QR code linking to additional historical information. The presentation emphasizes Tullibee’s clean, experimental lines and her role as a technological stepping stone in U.S. submarine development.