The design of the Skipjack was novel in many ways, starting with the teardrop-shaped hull that was first used on the conventionally powered USS Albacore (AGSS-569) . The down rudders were attached to both sides of the seven meter high, narrow and elongated tower ; these were now the only components protruding from the fuselage. A screw behind the rudder made the ship very maneuverable. The reactor type S5W the company Westinghouse was a much more capable of on the USS Nautilus (SSN-571) type used, enabling up to 100,000 miles driving at full strength. He was at all after that until the mid-1970s, nuclear submarines built by the US Navy until then on the ships of the Los Angeles-class submarine of S6G- pressurized water reactor of General Electric was used.
The Skipjack was removed from the US Navy shipping register on April 19, 1990. On March 17, 1996, it was introduced to the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program in Bremerton , Washington . Disarmament was completed on September 1, 1998.