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USS Canopus (AS-34)
Encyclopedia
USS Canopus (AS-34) was a Simon Lake-class
USS Simon Lake (AS-33)
USS Simon Lake was the lead ship of her class of submarine tenders in the United States Navy, named for Simon Lake, a pioneering designer of early submarines....
submarine tender
Submarine tender
A submarine tender is a type of ship that supplies and supports submarines.Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally do not have the ability to carry large amounts of food, fuel, torpedoes, and other supplies, nor to carry a full array of maintenance equipment and...
of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, operational from 1965 to 1994.
Construction
Canopuss keel was laid on 2 March 1964 and she was launched on 12 February 1965, at Ingalls ShipbuildingIngalls Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries...
Corporation in Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...
. Canopus was completed and delivered to the Navy in record breaking time on 25 October 1965.
Canopus joined Submarine Squadron
SUBRON
SUBRON is the United States Navy abbreviation for Submarine Squadron. A SUBRON usually consists of three or more submarines. It is the submarine force equivalent to a Destroyer Squadron or DESRON in the surface Navy...
18 at Charleston and was commissioned on 4 November 1965. After a short outfitting period, Canopus sailed for the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
on 7 January 1966. Canopus visited Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, for shakedown
Shakedown (testing)
A shakedown is a period of testing or a trial journey undergone by a ship, aircraft or other craft and its crew before being declared operational. Statistically, a proportion of the components will fail after a relatively short period of use, and those that survive this period can be expected to...
training. She returned to Charleston Naval Shipyard on 24 February for the usual post-shakedown work.
In mid-April 1966, Canopus completed her acceptance trials and upon final loading and outfitting deployed to the Cooper River
Cooper River (South Carolina)
The Cooper River is a mainly tidal river in the U.S. state of South Carolina. These cities are located along the river, Mt. Pleasant, Charleston, North Charleston, Goose Creek and Hanahan. Short and wide, it is joined first by the blackwater East Branch, then farther downstream, the tidal Wando River...
FBM
Fleet Ballistic Missile
Fleet Ballistic Missile comprises a succession of nuclear-tipped missiles, initially with intermediate range but now with intercontinental range that is often called "the backbone of the nation's strategic deterrence."Beginning in 1960 these missiles were aboard nuclear-powered U.S...
Replenishment Site on 24 June. Canopus started refitting submarines of Squadron 18.
1960s
On 24 September 1966, Canopus deployed from Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, arriving in Rota, Spain, on 10 October. Canopus relieved and reported to the Commander of Submarine Squadron 16 for duty. While at Rota, Canopus accomplished more Polaris
UGM-27 Polaris
The Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fuel nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile built during the Cold War by Lockheed Corporation of California for the United States Navy....
refits than any other submarine tender in a comparable amount of time.
On 20 April 1969, Canopus was relieved by Holland and sailed for Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
, via the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
. In Bremerton, Canopus was extensively overhauled and thereby gained the title of the first submarine tender in the United States Navy capable of refitting and maintaining a submarine with the Poseidon Missile System
UGM-73 Poseidon
The Poseidon missile was the second US Navy ballistic missile system, powered by a two-stage solid fuel rocket. It succeeded the Polaris missile beginning in 1972, bringing major advances in warheads and accuracy...
.
1970s
After completion of this overhaul, Canopus sailed for Holy LochHoly Loch
The Holy Loch is a sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.Robertson's Yard at Sandbank, a village on the loch, was a major wooden boat building company in the late 19th and early 20th centuries....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, via the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
. In May 1970, she relieved the at Holy Loch. She reported to the Commander of Submarine Squadron 14
Submarine Squadron 14
Submarine Squadron 14, or SUBRON 14, was a United States Navy squadron of Polaris and later Poseidon Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines based at Holy Loch, Scotland. The squadron was part of Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet...
.
On 29 November 1970, a fire broke out in the CPO baggage room, killing three and injuring ten. The fatalities (all from smoke inhalation) were two prisoners, and the guard who had freed them from the brig.
Canopus remained in Holy Loch until November 1975. During this time, Canopus was instrumental in establishing several new maintenance concepts while completing, on schedule, every submarine refit during the 67 months at Holy Loch. During the last year at Holy Loch, Canopus received numerous awards including the Ney Award for the best large mess afloat, the second consecutive Battle Efficiency "E"
Battle Effectiveness Award
The Battle Effectiveness Award , commonly known as the Battle "E", is awarded annually to the small number of U.S...
, the CINCLANTFLT Golden Anchor Award for personnel retention, and the Navy Unit Commendation
Navy Unit Commendation
The Navy Unit Commendation of the United States Navy is an award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944...
for her role in the first FBM Submarine Extended Refit Period.
In 1976, Canopus underwent an extensive refit at Charleston Naval Shipyard and returned to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for refresher training. Canopus returned to Rota, Spain, in December 1976.
As a result of the shipyard overhaul in Charleston, Canopus brought new and improved capabilities to Rota for the support of Submarine Squadron 16.
In June 1979, Canopus relieved Simon Lake at the Naval Weapons Station Charleston, South Carolina. Canopus now reported to the Commander of Squadron 18.
1980s
In January 1980, Canopus got underway and went 200 miles (321.9 km) off the coast to conduct drills. In March 1980, Canopus got underway and made a liberty cruise to Cape Canaveral, FloridaCape Canaveral, Florida
Cape Canaveral is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 8,829 at the 2000 census. As of 2008, the estimated population according to the U.S. Census Bureau was 10,147...
.
In 1984 after being relieved by Holland, Canopus underwent an overhaul at Charleston Naval Shipyard - which lasted until 1985. Refresher training and shake-down was conducted out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. After a short stay at Charleston, Canopus sailed in July 1985 to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay
Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay
Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay is a base of the United States Navy located adjacent to the town of St. Marys in Camden County, Georgia, in southeastern Georgia, and not far from Jacksonville, Florida. The Submarine Base is the U.S. Atlantic Fleet's home port for U.S. Navy Fleet ballistic missile...
, Georgia, where she relieved Simon Lake - assuming upkeep and refit duties for the SSBNs of Subron 16.
Decommissioning
Canopus was located at Kings Bay during the early 1990s. During a ceremony held at the Warrior Wharf there on Friday, 7 October 1994, Canopus 29 years of service was celebrated; and she was decommissioned from active service.Plans to scrap the vessel in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
ran into controversy in view of the risks posed by toxic chemicals and asbestos.
In 2010, scrapping of the Canopus was completed at Able UK
Able UK
Able UK is a British based company specialising in the rehabilitation and development of disused sites and facilities, demolition, site reclamation, re-mediation, regeneration and waste disposal...
. http://usscanopus.homestead.com/Teeside2.html