The USS Canopus (AS-34) was a Simon Lake-class submarine tender used to repair and refit submarine-launched Polaris ballistic missiles and the submarines deployed with them. The ship was laid down in 1964 and launched a year later. The vessel joined Submarine Squadron 18 after being commissioned in 1965. In the 1960s, the submarine tender relieved the USS Holland and reported to the Commander of Submarine Squadron 16 for duty. She underwent an extensive overhaul and gained the title of the first submarine tender in the US Navy capable of refitting and maintaining a submarine with the Poseidon Missile System. In the 1970s, the ship underwent an extensive refit and sailed to relieve the USS Simon Lake at Holy Loch, Scotland, reporting to the Commander of Submarine Squadron 14. After years of serving US naval bases on the US Atlantic Coast and Europe, the ship was decommissioned in 1994 and stricken from the register in 1995. Asbestos was widely used in naval shipbuilding, and therefore, many veterans have developed severe health problems decades after their service onboard ships isolated with the toxic mineral. Those suffering from diseases caused by asbestos exposure may qualify for compensation from asbestos trust funds and the VA.
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