The drawn sword has a blade that is in excellent condition. It is clean and bright with no nicks on the edge however there are some minor rub marks near the point on one side. The etching is still frosty. The decoration on the blade consists of the usual scrollwork designs with a square knot, an anchor, “U.S.N.” in a riband and an eagle on one side and a mast with “U.S.N.” flag, an oval of stars and a patriotic shield superimposed over an anchor on the other. This side is also etched with the owner’s name “LOWELL THORNTON STONE.” The ricasso is marked on one side with a Star of David with dots between the points. The opposite side is blank. The white buff leather washer is still present under the guard.

The hilt has a faux sharkskin grip with a twisted wire wrap. Brass pommel cap has an eagle surrounded by thirteen stars on the top. Knuckle bow and counterguard are also of brass. The knuckle bow starts in the form of a dolphin at top next to the pommel cap and widens as it comes around into the counterguard which is decorated with a scrollwork design and a riband with “U.S.N.” on the underside. The guard ends with a quillon in the shape of a dolphin. The original sword knot is present on the hilt.

The black leather scabbard is in excellent condition with both mounts and rings. Mounts are decorated on both sides with embossed twisted rope. Brass throat as engraved with intertwined initials “LTS.” Brass drag is complete. Scabbard surface shows a few rub marks but nothing serious.

Lowell Thornton Stone was born November 15, 1906 in Minnesota and was a 1929 graduate of the United States Naval Academy.

Just prior to World War Two, Stone commanded the minesweeper USS ORTOLAN from April 28, 1938 to mid-1941. By this time the ORTOLAN was serving as a submarine rescue ship and in 1939, with Stone in command, she took part in the rescue of the crew of the submarine USS SQUALUS off Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

With the outbreak of war Stone served on land until August 19, 1943 when he was assigned to command the submarine USS LAPON. Stone took the LAPON on her second patrol leaving Pearl Harbor on September 23, 1943 and patrolled off the coast of the Japanese home island of Honshu. On 18 October the LAPON sank the merchant ship TUICHU MARU and hit the minesweeper KEIJIN MARU NO.2 with two dud torpedoes. The patrol ended back at Pearl on November 4, 1943. Three days later the ship was sent to the Mare Island Navy Yard for engine repairs.

On February 13, 1944 Stone took the LAPON out on its 3^rd war patrol covering the South Chine Sea. On March 9 she sank the merchant ships TOYOKUNI MARU and NICHERIMARU. Six days later Stone sank a Japanese sampan with fire from his deck gun. This occurred just north-east of Luzon in the Philippines. On the 18^th the LAPON sank the troop transport HOKOROKU MARU about 250 miles south-west. of Hong Kong. The patrol ended at Fremantle, Australia on April 1, 1944.

The fourth war patrol for the LAPON began from Fremantle on April 25 and again the target area was the South China Sea. On May 24 she sank two Japanese army cargo ships, the WALES MARU and the BIZEN MARU. This patrol also ended at Fremantle on June 6, 1944.

Stone commanded his last patrol in the LAPON on June 29. Again, his target area was in the South China Sea. On July 18 Stone sank the Japanese survey ship KYODO MARU NO. 36 and the two auxiliary submarine chasers KAMO MARU and KURAMA MARU and on July 31 he got the merchant tanker TENSHIN MARU. The patrol ended at Fremantle, Australia on August 10, 1944.

Stone retired in 1959 as a Rear Admiral and commander of the Pacific Submarine Fleet. During his war service he earned the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars and the Bronze Star. His Navy Cross citation reads in part:

“…FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM IN THE LINE OF HIS PROFESSION AS COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE U.S.S. LAPON (SS-260) ON THE THIRD WAR PATROL OF THAT SUBMARINE DURING THE PERIOD 13 FEBRUARY 1944 TO APRIL 1, 1944, IN ENEMY CONTROLLED WATERS OF THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC. COMMANDER STONE, WITH EXCELLENT JUDGEMENT AND SKILLFULLY EMPLOYING ALL THE RESOURCES AT HIS COMMAND, AGGRESIVELY AND DETERMINEDLY DELIVERED FOUR SUCCESSFUL TORPEDO ATTACKS UPON STRONGLY ESCORTED ENEMY CONVOYS, SINKING FOUR SHIPS TOTALING 32,660 TONS AND DAMAGING ONE SHIP OF 6,863 TONS. HE FURTHER DAMAGED TWO SAMPANS WITH GUNFIRE. HE SKILLFULLY EVADED CLOSE DEPTH CHARGE ATTACKS SUBSEQUENT TO TWO TORPEDO ATTACKS AND BROUGHT HIS SHIP THROUGH WITHOUT DAMAGE.”

The two Silver Stars were awarded for Stone’s actions on the LAPON’s fourth and fifth war patrols.

Lowell T. Stone died in Palo Alto, California on March 30, 1971 and is buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Francisco, California.

With the sword is a notebook of research on Stone and the USS LAPON. It includes copy photos of the LAPON at sea and one of Stone during a patrol in front of the ship’s scoreboard. Also in the binder is information on each of the war patrols Stone commanded, a history of the LAPON printed from the internet, a color print of the ship’s logo with numerous smaller photos of the LAPON from NAVSOURCE online. The binder also holds 8 original World War Two mail covers featuring the LAPON. Also, in the binder are copies of the full text from each of the Navy Cross and Silver Star citations.  [ad] [ph:L]

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