LT Lamberth attended John Marshall High School in Cleveland, Ohio, and later graduated from Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, AL. He participated in the marching band at both schools.

Lamberth attended two years at Auburn University on an NROTC scholarship prior to being appointed to the United States Naval Academy on 7 July 1959. At Auburn he had been a member of Sigma Chi social fraternity. At USNA he participated in light-weight football and Yard Patrol Craft (YP's) used to provide Midshipmen with hands-on training in seamanship, navigation, naval tactics, communications, naval phraseology and standard procedures. He graduated on 5 June 1963 with the Class of 1963. He attended Nuclear Power School in Bainbridge, MD, and graduated from Sub School in Groton, Conn.

His first submarine tour was aboard the USS Thornback as assistant engineering officer and communications officer. He came aboard the USS Scorpion, SSN 589, in February 1965 as main propulsion assistant.

The Scorpion went down with all 99 crew aboard in May 1968. Details on this tragedy are explored in several books; a summary is provided under Wikipedia. Two of Lamberth's '63 classmates who were also lost with the Scorpion have a marker at Arlington National Cemetery, Memorial Section MG.

LT Lamberth was survived by his widow, the former Linda Kay Brown of Carmel, CA, and by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Leonard Lamberth of Birmingham, AL.