The ship's emblem represents, in symbolic form, the character of the ship. The CANOPUS emblem is a shield signifying the defensive and protecting function of the ship as opposed to the agressive cutting edge of a combatant.
The Greek ship and the star cluster represent the Argo Navis constellation in which the star CANOPUS resides. The big star connecting the scroll and the shield is CANOPUS. Flying through the void of space beside the constellation is the POLARIS missile guided and watched by the helmsman, the big star.
The smiling dolphins above are symbolic of our primary mission to cheerfully tend our undersea brood. The crossed rifles, encircled, recall the heroic stand of the embattled crew of CANOPUS 1, (AS-9), on Bataan. The motto set in a banner of the bottom pledges our dedicated readiness to serve in the CANOPUS tradition of determined performance.
