Submarine Base New London
Once out of the shipyard, the Lafayette again joined the active fleet once again in participating in what were referred to as "strategic deterrent patrols." As I've shared earlier, this involved the crew leaving port and disappearing for a period of time, during which we were on a war-time footing as part of the Navy's participation in the strategic triad, all involved in MADD (Mutual Assured Destruction Doctrine) that had the Soviet Union and the U.S. and its allies with their fingers on triggers that would have obliterated life on the planet. To say it was stressful is minimizing the effect it had on all who served in the 'boomers' (an aphorism used to describe the ballistic missile submarines, for obvious reasons).