I am Richard Retin and was a Second Class Photographer's Mate.  I came aboard the Canopus, straight from "A" school in Pensacola Florida, in late November 1965 and separated in early January 1968.  I am currently the Chairman of the USS Canopus Association and being fully retired after an almost 30 years career in computers, I have the background to maintain the website and the time to organize the reunions.  I will be your tour guide to the Photo Lab.
    

As you discovered, the Photo Lab is located on the second deck, port side, near the stern at frame 2-137-2.  Across the passageway are the Drafting Shop and Rubber and Plastic Shop. The Lab is part of the Repair Services Division, along with the Print Shop, Drafting Shop, Tech Library, and Repair Office.

The Canopus has one of the best Photo Labs in the fleet, bar none.  We have an enormously large working compartment for just three Photographer's Mates.  And being Polaris, as you will see, we have tons of equipment, cameras, and unlimited supplies.

Let me pass out copies of the floor plan to the Lab.  Feel free to make notes on it.

Everyone, please follow me through the hatch, which is Navy lingo for "door", to the Photo Lab.
    

Did everyone see the cartoon above the desk?
A little Photo Lab humor ......

"I had no idea you were a PLAYBOY photographer, Mr. Simpson!"

Let me introduce you to the crewmembers of the Photo Lab (in December 1967).
    

Seated is Ray Daigle PH2, who is in charge of the Lab and was part of the original commissioning crew.
   

Behind Daigle is Morris Uhles AN, who joined us recently to replace Donald Appleby PH3. You will meet Appleby later.
    

I have a Sea Story about Uhles. Soon after he came on board, we went to sea for a couple days.  We got the division chief to authorize a watchlist with Uhles as the "mail buoy" watch.  He fell for it, hook, line and sinker!
    

Next is your's truly, Richard Retin PH2, when I was 20 years old!

Sharpe SA has come in to replace me as I am due for separation next month. ì

The piece of equipment on the counter (far left in the rear) is used to remove the curl from prints.
    

Okay then, please follow me through the light lock and I will show you the first of our two labs. The space is kinda tight in there, so as they say in the Navy, "belly-button-to-asshole".
     

This is the black-and-white darkroom where we develop roll film and make prints. Color photos are processed in another lab, which I will show you a little later.
     

There are two Beseler enlargers, just for black-and-white photos up to 16x20 inches.
     

I have another Sea Story for you. The sink used to have a large, bulky temperature control unit that didn't work and we didn't need.  It just took up valuable space.  So on our shakedown cruise to GITMO in the Spring of 1966, Appleby and I took the unit to the fantail and gave it a

"floatability test".  Needless-to-say, It didn't float ....... (laughter)

We have tons of black-and-white and color photographic paper, roll film and 4x5 Polaroid, which we normally keep in a hugh reefer over there.  We are getting ready to move all our

light sensitive medium out of the lab, so they could do non-destructive x-ray testing in the O2N2 plant that is one deck below us. ì

On the shelf are two of our many cameras, one a Rolliflex and the other a Mamiya, both medium format twin reflexes with strobe units.
     
When I first got aboard in November 1965, all we had was three 4x5 Speed Graphics that used flash bulbs!  That changed quickly in the subsequent months. We got sent the Rolliflex; three Mamiya outfits with three lenses each, normal, wide-angle and telescopic; and a
35mm Lecia M2 with three lenses.

Over by the microfilm equipment is all our roll and cut film, and 4x5 Polaroid film. We are not throwing them out!  We are just using the trash cans to move them out because of the x-raying.

     
Sea Story time. Every three months, our division, Repair Services, has a $10,000 budget that we have to "spend it or lose it".  I have to dream up things to order! Your tax dollars at work!

Appleby, there you are!
    

Everyone, I would like you to meet Photographer's Mate Third Class Don Appleby. Appleby is very proud about being from Maine. He was part of the pre-commisioning crew and got the nickname "SweetPea" from our Division Officer LT. Clark.
    

Appleby is seated at our MP-3 copy camera. ì

(I still have prints of some of the photos on the bulkhead. Click on these to see if they enlarge.)

     
Every Monday morning, right after muster, the Repair Office brings down typed pages that we convert to 35mm slides using the MP-3 and Polaroid slide film for the management meeting held first thing that morning.
 

I have a question.  What does "FBM" stands for?
    

"FBM" is for Fleet Ballistic Missile, which you know as Polaris.  Each FBM sub is able to carry 16 of them.

I have left the best for last ... the color darkroom. This darkroom is where we develop all our color material: roll film, prints up to 16x20, and 35mm slides.
   

What that is that gas cylinder for?
     

The Calumet color print processor uses a nitrogen gas burst system to "agitate" the processing chemicals, hence the large gas cylinder. We get it refilled at the O2N2 plant below us.
    

The color darkroom was not initially built in the yard, but in late 1965 by the ship's crew.  Ed Pado, Shipfitter in the Sheetmetal Shop and our currently Association Vice Chairman, likes to remind me all the time that he helped built it.