Was in the Navy from 1970-1974 on one ship ...what civilians fail to understand when they see these once great ships having their guts ripped out..that young men like myself slept..ate..stood many watches ...walked those passageways..made friends..how many thousands went through her....that`s the sad part of it..and what was most important...those now gone ships always brought us back home to our loved ones from far away...
As a land luber...it is sad, and fascinating at the same time. How long to build a ship, less to scrap I'm sure. Thanks to those who build, served on these once great ships. Yes, the dangerous job of scrapping, thanks.
Its a piece of metal, get over it, americans always getting so Goddamn emotional over material yet the next day they all lined up for new iPhone release.
@@SMGJohn I know what you mean, but with a ship it is slightly different. It has been a home for the people working and living on it for months. I myself did not like the view of three of the ships I sailed on on the beach at Alang
kind of makes you sick to your soul to see the ship you served on in Holy Loch, Scotland from '73 to '75 running the small boats in A-Div after going through mess cooking then to deck then to small boats and finally boat electrician...lots of memories riding the taxi to Dunoon to catch a Ferry then a train to Glasgow and another train to Edinburgh...made some good friends...had some good laughs...RIP old girl...you served us well!
My former roommate (Chuck Welsh), and years long dear friend spent many years serving aboard this ship. I am sure he is experiencing some emotional trauma seeing his former "home" ripped to pieces. I know how that feels. It's like a part of your own life has been eradicated. Here's to the USS CANOPUS! May she live on in the memories of those who served her!!
Wow, watching this was brutal. Crossed the Canopus' quarterdeck many times getting my sub. I believe the US is now down to 1 or 2 submarine tenders now.
I was a Damage Controlman aboard her 68-69 stationed in Holy Loch Scotland and missle conversion in Bremerton Washington,,sure is a shame to see her destroyed,,,RIP Canopus AS 34 L Repp
R.I.P. Old Girl...... USS CANOPUS AS-34, R-1 Division, X-17-A Sheet Metal Shop. 1978-1981, Rota, Spain into Charleston, South Carolina. HT2 Ragan will miss you, but never forget you.
@@stephenmorrisonii855 Hey Steve.....good to hear from you. Sorry for the 3 year response time.I was just looking at some old pictures of our shop crew. Good times with good guys.
I was part of Canopus's last crew. I served from late 93 to the fall of 94 when she was decommissioned. I served in the deck dept, and spent many times painting the side of the ship and chipping away old rust.
I remember you! I also remember being on countless working parties using needle scalers to eat that rust away. I still remember BM1 Henson warning us to not stick to one spot too long or we'd put holes in the deck or hatches 😂
Have some good memories on this ship. I wonder if we are shaving with it yet (I heard they sold it to Gillette). I wonder if the diver's barge with 67Golf shop still exist. Did a lot of fire watch on this ship, rebuilding the elevators, right before they decided to decommission her! Goodbye Canopus.
I was a Navy Diver on this ship from Jan 1975 through Sept. 1976. I rode the ship back from Scotland to Charleston SC in Dec 1975 it was about a 10 to 12 day voyage. There were numerous dogs in cages brought back also some died. I flew our Pom back with my wife. The Canopus went through a yard period from Jan 76 through Sept 76, this is the month I got out of the Navy. There are some families that were associated with the Canopus that still live in the Charleston area.
As a former Sailor on the USS Frank Cable, this is hard to watch. I went to the Cable after the USS Orion and felt like I was on the starship Enterprise by comparison. Beautiful class of ships, many fond memories
Worked on the USS Frank Cable while she was in Apra Bay Guam with a defense contractor spent multiple years in the Merchant Marines prior hope I spelled correctly
If memory serves me correct she was a sub tender am I correct don't remember Question: Why was she docked with stern in first so she could put to sea faster
@@markpayne6803 Yes sub tender. Never thought about why she was tied up like that but u may be right: she was home-ported in Charleston SC for a time where hurricanes were an issue
I crossed deck from the USS Simon Lake AS-33 to USS Canopus AS-34 here at the Rota Base, what great memories, yes sir. I like all of you see my ship torn into shreads is very sad, Best wishes to all BM1 Philip Herman USN RET Still here in Spain, been here since 16 Sept 1974 and never left !!!!!👍👍👍
Funny you should mention land based. Sub tenders, like this ship, spent such vast amounts of time tied to a pier that they would jokingly be referred to as "Building #34", or whatever the hull number.
@@MrPlankinton Yes, we were tied up to the Dixon & the McKee was on the next pier. I think they only moved once in 3 years. The Dixon went up to Seattle, then down to Acapulco about 1984. Believe the McKee has been long scrapped, and at the time was very new.
I was assigned to E-Division in 1969 in Charleston. From there we went to Bremerton Washington and then to Holy Loch. Many fond memories and one sad one. A fire killed 3 shipmates. Proud to serve on her but so sad to see this end. The Canopus WAS the newest tender at the time and now it's gone. I'm getting old !!!
This was my Dad's ship, about 78-80. I was born at the end of '76. My earliest memories take place in and around Rota, and then we came back to Charleston with the Canopus. I remember touring parts of the ship as a child, and how loud the machine shops were...strange what you remember. Dad was an E-7, doing work on radio and sonar gear. He was very thin at that time, and has told me stories about crawling between the pressure hulls of the docked Delta IV boomers to repair circuits. I'm currently debating whether I should tell him about this vid or not.
I worked around the Oak Ridge with the APL 31 supporting the mini refit teams of yard birds and ships company of boats in dry dock. I then served on Simon Lake and Canopus. Two and a half years in Rota. Outside Machine shop X38 on both Canopus and Lake. Fond memories for sure.
I was a HT on her sister ship AS-33 which finally was repurposed in 2022. Sad seeing these ships get cut up. In 1973 at the end of HT C school, my buddy was sent to Scotland and AS-34 and I was sent to Rota, ES to AS-33
mpullen99 This is able uk, hartlepool, england.. i worked there as labourer and fire watcher on these ships whilst dissmantaled . 12 month was given by uk goverment to complete the task. Completed on time. : ).
I was an HT on the ARD 30 & the wife was on the Dixon. I recall people joking that the ship was the "can'o puss" because of the many female sailors. You know how people like to poke with names, like Great Mistakes instead of Great Lakes. The biggest BooBoo was when the CO of the Pollack was rang on board as the "Po-Lock, arriving" HaHa
I'm not sure I made it 90 sec I about started to cry to see her like that, then to watch her being torn apart. I was in the lag shop it was part of the first part that came off. 1982 - 1987
Funny-ish story. While we were stationed in Rota, my family adopted a stray dog. Cookie was mostly poodle, but the ugliest poodle you ever saw. Apparently some of the local kids had been giving her cookies from their lunches and named her Bisqueta before we adopted her. On several occasions she herded nearby cows into our front yard. One time she even caught some shotgun pellets in her rear end from a nearby farmer over this. Anyway, when the Canopus changed ports to Charleston in '79, they had dog kennels secured on the helo deck for the crews' pets. (The Navy also shipped our '73 Pinto to Spain and back, which seems like a waste of taxpayer dollars. :)) From what I heard, there was a storm somewhere in the Atlantic. After that, Cookie the ugly poodle was terrified of thunderstorms. This fear led to her eventual demise, around 1990 or so. She got out, and a storm came in, and she decided to hide under someone's pool cover. So I guess you could say that my dog Cookie was a casualty of the Cold War......
Yes it was a sad day brother when I discovered this...Hey Frank, its Ron Bishop from the old A-Gang small boats in Holy Loch...its Mr. Magoo to you!...lol
Know affectionately as the "can of piss", I recall this classic but old tender back in the 1980s during brief deployment to Italy. Back then, though aged, very well maintained and in tip top shape thanks to its crew.
I served on the Hunley, Simon Lake and Canopus. These ballistic missile sub tenders played a huge part in winning the Cold War. They were work horses that kept our ballistic missile subs deep and at the Soviet Union’s front door and were instrumental in running them in the ground trying to keep up. Just the repair department had 500 highly skilled tradesmen manning shops that could perform virtually any task. That’s not even counting the various weapons shops, torpedoes, ballistic missiles, Radcon, medical, and a massive supply division, just to name a few. About 1500 highly skilled personnel, if memory is correct. Truly, a mobile city. I bet, now that they’re quickly moving towards autonomous surface ships and submersibles, tenders will make a comeback. Imagine, a tender like this could be a mother ship to a hundred autonomous vessels deployed anywhere in the world.
91-94 in R6 division (carpenter shop) loved working on that ship along with all her submarine's. We used the brass from the fire stations to make the decommissioning plaques ,up stairs in the foundry.
Served on Fulton, Gilmore, Orion. Sad to watch, because so many sacrificed years of blood, sweat, and tears on these decommisioned ships. I remember the old sea joke : "its going to become razor blades" 😢😅
Served on her in 91 and 92 after decommissioning the Pratt. ET shop was one of the first to go, hated to see a good shop go like that. I guess in my mind I just wanted to think she was still out there somewhere floating around. God bless.
i got off this ship in 92 also,did u know that this ship was on tv?i think it was hard copy at the time,they interviewed a female navy lawyer that was being sexually harrassed i beleive,,do u know anything about that?
This was amazing to watch. Obviously not in the US during this. I was on her visiting a few times when she was stationed in Kings Bay Submarine Base. Although I was stationed at TTF, she played a large part of my Chief's initiation. MRCS(SW) Ret
Compass island was also broken up at this time the two oilers had long names,Compass Island is featured in a book i have about the loss of a US Submarine,,lovely ship converted from a engine amidships cargo ship built in the 1950s i believe the oilers were built during the war and were in very good order.
I served on her 79-82 started in 1st Div Deckfor 6mos then mess crancked before transferring to 3rd Div Boat crew. POIC of the Captain's Gig for 1 years then POIC of the Commodore's Gig for Squadron 18,for my final year there with the Canopus. Great memories,great crew.
I served on the Crayfish (TWR-682) from ‘79-‘83 as electrician. Part of Submarine Squadron 18 headquartered on the tender. Many time going through the passageways and compartments.
I understand nothing lasts forever and there's a reason why these formerly magnificent and solid ships need to be recycled but it's still sad to see them cut up like this. And I'm a former US Army Infantryman! Though my grandfather CPO Frank Shrack served aboard the USS Hamul AD-20 and his ship met a similar fate in 1975 at a Taiwan breaking yard.
This ship was my first, last and only duty station in the Navy. It broke my heart when we decommissioned her, and it kills me to watch her being scrapped. To see my post office pulled away destroys my heart in the worst way. 😭💔
This is cool to watch but I'm sure its a sad site for those who served on this ship. I remember this ship being at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in '96 just after being decommissioned.
Canopus decommissioned in 1994. It was stricken, de-militarized in 1995-96. It ended up in the Marad fleet in the James River off Fort Eustis, VA after 1996 awaiting disposal.
Tough to watch and tough to read all comments below of those who served aboard,. Thought i saw the door to my office (Captain's Office) served from '71 to '73.
I am not sure whats worse too see this or them being sunk, USS PAUL F FOSTER DD-964 93 to 97, its a test ship now so its safe for now from this kind of fate. Alot of the spru cans are going too Davy Jones' Locker off of hawaii too someday become a reef. I heard this went too the uk as scrap.
I was in the Navy on the USS Cascade in Charleston, SC when this ship was commissioned (1966?). I had a Chief Bos'ns Mate in my Division who served on the old Canopus and was crew when the war broke out. He was captured when Corregidor surrendered and spent the war as a POW working at slave labor in a Japanese mine for 3 1/2 yrs. He was an invited guest for the ceremony. Makes me sad to watch this. That day this ship was the newest ship in the Navy.
This Ship and Three others were broken up on the River Tees UK i photographed and videoed them as they came into the River as well as the French aircraft carrier that was also broken up there Hartlepool is a short distance to the north,the breaking of these ships is done in a very controlled way safety very much in mind.
You would think that these ships wonder being tore apart would have many ghosts inside. I would not want to be in them ripping their guts out and run into a ghost. Ghosts scare me
I remember seeing this in the Holy Loch in 74/75, if I recall the captain then was capt. Alexis. Anyone know the whereabouts of his family, I knew his son Mark who went to the same school I went to in Dunoon.
Actually, the old girl could hardly make three days underway before she'd break down. I was on her at the end and was a member of her decomm crew. I sure hated seeing her go out like this 😭
This was though to watch. The old girl didn't give up easily, but the gang who disassembled her knew what they were doing! Anyone know where that was or how long the process took?
Hi... this is at.. ABLE (UK), hartlepool , england... 12 month it took todo. I worked there for 1 year in 2009-2010 as a labourer and fire watcher for the burners as they cut it up..
The Canopus remained at Able UK's drydock for several years while there was litigation over her disposal. Environmentalist were opposed to her scrapping because of PCBs and Asbestos.
Very sad to watch! On board from July '79 until June '81 at Charleston Naval Weapons Station. Was in R-4 (Electronic Repair) X67H (Submarine Antenna Shop). Pease visit www.usscanopus.homestead.com to see her during better times!!
