Canopus's keel was laid on 2 March 1964 and she was launched on 12 February 1965, at Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Canopus was completed and delivered to the Navy in record breaking time on 25 October 1965. Canopus joined Submarine Squadron 18 at Charleston and was commissioned on 4 November 1965. After a short outfitting period, Canopus sailed for the Caribbean on 7 January 1966. Canopus visited Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, for shakedown training. She returned to Charleston Naval Shipyard on 24 February for the usual post-shakedown work.