USS Lapon ( SS - 260 ) , a " Gato " - class submarine , was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the lapon , a scorpionfish of the Pacific coast of the United States of America . Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company , Groton , Connecticut 21 February 1942 . She was launched 27 October 1942 ( sponsored by Mrs . J . B . Oldendorf , wife of Rear Admiral Jesse B . Oldendorf ) , and commissioned 23 January 1943 , Commander ( CDR ) Oliver G . Kirk ( Class of 1929 ) in command . First and second war patrols , June – November 1943 . Completing trials and training in Long Island Sound , " Lapon " departed New London for the $ 3 4 May 1943 , arriving at Pearl Harbor 1 June . She departed 24 June for her first war patrol which was spent in the Sea of Okhotsk and Sea of Japan . On 3 July , " Lapon " , along with and became the first U . S . submarines to slip through a mine d strait into the Sea of Japan , the enemy ’ s own backyard . The entire time " Lapon " operated in the Sea of Japan , she was surrounded by thick fog and had problems with her radar . After she exited the Sea of Japan through La Perouse Strait , she patrolled off the east coast of Hokkaidō and Honshū . There she saw an aircraft carrier and a pair of destroyers . The escorts kept " Lapon " pinned down with the assistance of aircraft , and the carrier escaped . The submarine , CDR Lowell T . " Steamy " Stone ( Class of 1929 ) in command , departed 26 September for a close inshore patrol off the south coast of Honshū . After sinking cargo ship " Taichu Maru " 18 October , " Lapon " returned to Pearl Harbor 4 November 1943 and departed for the West Coast 7 November for an overhaul at Mare Island Navy Yard . Third , fourth , and fifth war patrols , January – August 1944 . Refitted with four new engines , the submarine departed for the South China Sea via Pearl Harbor in February 1944 . " Lapon " relentlessly sought out torpedo targets and inflicted heavy damage on the enemy . In well - planned and skillfully executed attacks , she sank cargo ships " Toyokuni Maru " 8 March , " Nichirei Maru " 9 March , and " Hokuroku Maru " 18 March , and inflicted heavy damage to several small craft . " Lapon " terminated this patrol in Fremantle , Australia arriving 1 April 1944 . Departing 25 April , " Lapon " arrived in the South China Sea and on 23 May detected and tracked a convoy . During the early hours of 24 May , the submarine sank cargo ships " Wales Maru " , and " Bizen Maru " . " Lapon " cleared the area at flank speed chased by an escort and returned to Fremantle 6 June for refit . Underway for the eastern part of the South China Sea 29 June , " Lapon " spotted a cruiser and destroyer , the latter escaping at high speed . Four days later she sent cargo ship " Kyodo Maru No . 36 " to the bottom . In the early evening of 31 July 1944 , a convoy was sighted in Palawan Passage . " Lapon " closed in for a night submerged radar attack and sunk tanker " Tinshin Maru " and damaged two other vessels . " Lapon " then headed for Australia and moored at Fremantle 10 August . Sixth and seventh war patrols , September 1944 – January 1945 . " Lapon " sailed for the South China Sea on 4 September , Lieutenant Commander ( LCDR ) Donald G . Baer in command . She rendezvoused with submarines and and became a member of a wolfpack . Early in the morning of 21 September , the submarine contacted an enemy hospital ship and allowed the ship to pass unharmed . That afternoon , while rounding Palauic point , " Lapon " spotted smoke and commenced closing . As she neared attack position U . S . carrier - based planes attacked this convoy , inflicting heavy damage on the enemy . " Lapon " attacked remnants of the convoy 22 September and sank the cargo ship " Shun Yuan " . The next day " Flasher " and " Lapon " made a coordinated attack on several ships , " Lapon " sinking the tanker " Hokki Maru " . Patrolling off the coast of Luzon 10 October 1944 , " Lapon " intercepted a Manila - bound convoy and sank the cargo ship " Ejiri Maru " . Assigned to lifeguard duty , the submarine was on station during the air attacks preliminary to the invasion of the Philippines ; and 21 October departed for Australia , arriving at Fremantle 31 October . " Lapon " left port for her seventh patrol 23 November and took position on a scouting line to prevent enemy reinforcements from reaching Mindoro and Leyte . Aircraft contacts were many and ship contacts few . " Lapon " was the last submarine to prowl Lingayen Gulf before the invasion of Luzon , and was ordered out of the area at high speed the day of the first landings . She headed for Pearl Harbor , arriving 21 January 1945 . Departing for the West Coast 4 days later , she moored at Mare Island Navy Yard 31 January . Eighth war patrol , April – July 1945 . Bound for her last patrol , " Lapon " arrived at Pearl Harbor 22 April , stayed there for a month , then headed for Guam , arriving 5 June . Next day she sailed on a special mission of lifeguarding for a British carrier strike force and for B - 24 and B - 29 bombers striking the Japanese homeland . Returning to Guam 20 June , she headed for Saipan 4 days later to join submarines for a picket boat sweep ahead of Admiral Halsey ’ s forces which were to attack Tokyo area targets . Upon completion of sweeps , " Lapon " went on lifeguard duty off Tori Shima until 7 July when she steamed for Midway Atoll , briefly stopping at Saipan for temporary repairs , mooring 23 July . The day she was to sail for another war patrol , hostilities ended . Instead , " Lapon " departed for the Atlantic coast 26 August and arrived at New Orleans , LA , 20 September 1945 . She remained there until she departed 24 October for the Texas coast , arriving Galveston 25 October . Two days later she berthed at Houston . " Lapon " got underway for Staten Island , NY , 30 October , arriving 4 November . She remained at New York until 8 January 1946 , when she sailed for New London , arriving the same day . " Lapon " was placed out of commission in reserve 25 July 1946 . HS " Poseidon " ( S - 78 ) . Recommissioned at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard , 13 April 1957 , " Lapon " remained in the Portsmouth vicinity until 10 August , when she was decommissioned and struck from the Navy list . On 8 August 1957 she was transferred to Greece under the Military Assistance Program and served the Greek Navy as HS " Poseidon " ( S - 78 ) ( originally carrying pennant number Y - 16 ) . " Poseidon " was purchased outright by Greece in April 1976 and stricken from active duty for use as spare parts for sister ships . SS - 260 was stricken from the US Navy Register on 31 December 1975 . " Lapon " was credited with sinking 53 , 443 tons of Japanese shipping . She was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for her brilliantly successful third , fourth , fifth , and sixth patrols and received four battle star s for World War II service .