Simon Lake

Born in 1866, he became one of the early pioneers of submarine engineering in the United States. He is especially associated with the Argonaut, a submarine built in 1897 that was designed for underwater exploration and salvage work rather than combat.

His ideas helped expand what submarines could do. Along with developing undersea craft, he worked on features that made long underwater operations more practical, including designs meant to support divers and seabed work.

He died in 1945, leaving behind a reputation as an inventive and determined engineer whose work helped shape the early history of submarines.