On a crisp winter day in Newport News, Virginia, the USS Lapon slid into the water, marking the arrival of one of the most advanced submarines of its time. Built as a Sturgeon-class attack submarine, Lapon embodied the technological innovations that redefined undersea warfare in the nuclear age. Its motto, Secret et Hardi—“Silent and Strong”—encapsulated the ethos of the men who would take it into the depths. Sponsored by Mrs. Charles D. Griffin, the Lapon became an integral player in America’s underwater chess game with the Soviet Union. Continue reading “Secret Et Hardi” →