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Chapter 08: USS Canopus The USS Canopus was a submarine tender for the US Navy based out of Cavite Naval Base near Manila. She was named after the star Canopus and commissioned in 1922. Her normal crew size was 314. Canopus was bombed by the Japanese on December 29, 1941 and again on January 1, 1942. Rather than allow the Old Lady to sink, sailors placed smudge pots around the ship in order to fool the Japanese into thinking she was on fire and abandoned. Meanwhile, her crew made repairs and the Canopus continued her duties in servicing and supplying submarines and other small craft. At some point in early 1942, Dad became storekeeper on board the USS Canopus. As such, he reported to Submarine Squadron 20 of the US Navy Asiatic Fleet. United States Navy USS Canopus Photo Courtesy US National Archives

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