USS Glenard P Lipscomb (SSN-685)

USS Glenard P. Lipscomb (SSN-685) was a unique submarine in the United States Navy, commissioned in 1974 and named after Congressman Glenard P. Lipscomb. As the second vessel of the Los Angeles-class to be built, she was notable for her experimental turbo-electric drive propulsion system, designed to reduce noise but ultimately proving less reliable and more maintenance-intensive than conventional systems. Throughout her service during the Cold War, Glenard P. Lipscomb conducted a variety of intelligence-gathering and deterrence patrols, primarily in the Atlantic. The submarine was decommissioned in 1990 after just 16 years in service, making her operational life shorter than most of her contemporaries due to the limitations of her propulsion technology.