Search the Site with

General Characteristics

Crew List

Memorabilia

Accidents aboard the Ship

About the Ship's Name

History

to end of page

USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN 640)

USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN was the first BENJAMIN FRANKLIN - class nuclear powered fleet ballistic missile submarine. Generally similar to the LAFAYETTE - class, the twelve BENJAMIN FRANKLIN - class submarines had a quieter machinery design, and were thus considered a separate class. The BENJAMIN FRANKLIN was the sixth ship in the Navy to bear the name although the previous ships only carried the name FRANKLIN. The first four ships of the name honored Benjamin Franklin; the aircraft carrier FRANKLIN (CV 13) perpetuated the names of these ships.

Both decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list on November 23, 1993, the BENJAMIN FRANKLIN subsequently entered the Navy’s Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program in Bremerton, Washington. Recycling was finished on August 21, 1995.

back to top

go to the end of the page

back to top

go to the end of the page

Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

• Click here to view the list.

back to top

go to the end of the page

• Click here to see which USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

back to top

go to the end of the page

Accidents aboard USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN:

back to top

go to the end of the page

About the Ship's Name:

Benjamin Franklin (1706-90) was born in Boston but moved at an early age to Philadelphia where his countless talents and unlimited energies found expression in successful contributions as a statesman, diplomat, scientist, editor-author, and philosopher. During the Revolution he was appointed American Minister Plenipotentiary to the French Court enabling him to function also as the Navy's representative in Europe. He promoted the plan to bring the war to British shores, supporting Lambert Wickes' spectacular raids and enabling John Paul Jones to perform his daring feats by providing funds, attending to purchases and repairs, and determining questions of authority and discipline. His astute and visionary policies merit for him deserved recognition in the annals of the United States.

back to top

go to the end of the page

back to top

go to the end of the page

USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN History:

USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN originated in the early 1960s, when the United States sought to expand and quieten its force of fleet ballistic missile submarines as part of the "41 for Freedom" Polaris program. The construction contract for the lead boat of what would become the BENJAMIN FRANKLIN-class was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics at Groton, Connecticut, on November 1, 1962, continuing the rapid Cold War buildup of the U.S. sea-based nuclear deterrent.

Her keel was laid at Electric Boat on May 25, 1963. She embodied the SCB 216 Mod 2 design, a refinement of the earlier LAFAYETTE- and JAMES MADISON-classes with improved sound isolation: turbines and shafting were mounted on resilient foundations, and additional acoustic treatments were installed to reduce machinery noise. USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN was launched at Groton on December 5, 1964. The submarine was sponsored by Mrs. Francis L. Moseley and Mrs. Leon V. Chaplin, direct descendants of Benjamin Franklin, underscoring the symbolic link between the founding statesman and the new strategic platform that would quietly patrol the oceans with nuclear missiles. After fitting-out, she was placed in commission on October 22, 1965, at the U.S. Naval Underwater Sound Laboratory in New London, Connecticut, with Captain Donald M. Miller commanding the Blue Crew and Commander Ross N. Williams commanding the Gold Crew.

Sea trials and shakedown began almost immediately. Shakedown cruise operations formally commenced on October 26, 1965, in waters off the U.S. East Coast, testing propulsion, sonar, combat systems and the new boat's quieting features. The submarine then entered the missile test phase off the Eastern Test Range near Cape Kennedy, Florida. On December 6, 1965, the Gold Crew successfully launched a Polaris A-3 ballistic missile in a carefully timed event coordinated with an orbital pass of the Gemini 7 spacecraft carrying astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, demonstrating precise timing and integration between the sea-based deterrent and the nation's space program. A second Polaris A-3 launch followed on December 20, 1965, this time conducted by the Blue Crew, completing the demonstration and shakedown operations (DASO) sequence and proving the ship's missile and fire-control systems in operational conditions.

With shakedown complete, USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN prepared to join the Pacific ballistic-missile submarine force. After loading tactical Polaris missiles at Charleston, South Carolina, she transited south, passed through the Panama Canal, and was formally assigned to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT) on April 4, 1966. She arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on April 20, 1966, to join the growing Polaris squadron that supported U.S. strategic plans during the height of the Vietnam War and continuing confrontation with the Soviet Union.

On May 6, 1966, the Blue Crew took USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN to sea from Pearl Harbor for her first Polaris deterrent patrol. Operating under strict radio silence in the Pacific, she conducted a submerged patrol of roughly two months, part of a pattern of 60-70 day patrols that kept at least one crew and missile load continuously on station. That initial patrol ended successfully on July 11, 1966, when the submarine arrived in Apra Harbor, Guam, then a key forward support base for Polaris boats in the western Pacific. This first deployment confirmed the operational readiness of the new class and helped establish the Pacific SSBN presence as a counterbalance to advancing Soviet missile capabilities and Chinese nuclear developments.

Through the late 1960s, USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN continued a cycle of Polaris deterrent patrols in the Pacific, alternating between Blue and Gold Crews. Patrols typically involved departure from Pearl Harbor or Guam, a transit to assigned patrol areas in the Pacific, and extended submerged operations where the submarine's primary task was to remain hidden, maintain communications links, and preserve the ability to launch its missiles if ordered. Specific patrol areas and operating details remain classified, but the general pattern mirrored that of her sister ships: quiet patrols at depth in designated sectors while geopolitical tension remained high, from the escalation of the Vietnam War through the Soviet naval build-up in the Pacific. Her consistently high readiness during this early service was recognized on February 27, 1969, when the boat received the Meritorious Unit Commendation covering the period from commissioning through September 1968, honoring both crews for maintaining an exceptionally high operational standard over a sustained series of patrols.

By 1970, strategic priorities and basing arrangements were evolving. The United States was moving to consolidate some Pacific Polaris operations and to introduce the more capable Poseidon missile in both oceans. On August 28, 1970, the Blue Crew departed Apra Harbor to begin USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN's nineteenth Polaris patrol, which also served as her transfer cruise back to the Atlantic. This patrol ended at New London, Connecticut, positioning the submarine for her first major overhaul and missile system upgrade at her original building yard in Groton.

On February 25, 1971, USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN entered the Electric Boat shipyard at Groton for an extended overhaul and conversion from Polaris A-3 to the newer Poseidon C-3 ballistic missile. The yard period involved extensive work: refitting missile tubes and handling systems for the larger, more capable Poseidon missiles, modernizing navigation and fire-control equipment, and carrying out standard reactor and machinery maintenance associated with a mid-life SSBN overhaul. The conversion was completed on May 15, 1972, after which she rejoined the strategic deterrent force as a Poseidon-armed boat.

Following post-overhaul training, USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN conducted a Poseidon Demonstration and Shakedown Operation. On June 16, 1972, she launched a Poseidon C-3 missile on the Eastern Test Range off Cape Canaveral in a DASO flight designated for the ship, confirming the integrity of the new missile system and crew proficiency. Once operational, she joined the Atlantic-based ballistic missile submarine squadrons, becoming part of the broader deterrent posture that operated out of homeports such as New London and Charleston with forward support sites at Holy Loch, Scotland, and Rota, Spain. General accounts of the class and crew recollections indicate that in the mid-1970s, USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN conducted multiple Poseidon patrols supported from Rota, Spain, consistent with the deployment pattern of Submarine Squadron 16, which used Rota as a primary forward base for Atlantic and Mediterranean patrol areas.

During these Poseidon years, the submarine continued the two-crew deterrent cycle. A nuclear-missile chronology records that on March 24, 1974, USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN deployed on an operational patrol carrying a full load of sixteen tactical Poseidon C-3 missiles, reflecting the transition of her patrols from Polaris to the higher-capacity Poseidon system. On June 26, 1976, she conducted an operational test in which two Poseidon C-3 missiles were launched in rapid sequence from the Eastern Test Range, part of a series of Follow-on Operational Tests verifying the continuing reliability of the missile and ship systems in the fleet. As she accumulated additional patrols, her performance was recognized at the squadron level: after the completion of her twenty-ninth deterrent patrol, she received Submarine Squadron 16's Battle Efficiency "E", marking her as one of the best-performing boats in the squadron during that period.

By the late 1970s, the United States was preparing to introduce the TRIDENT I (C-4) missile, initially on the new OHIO-class submarines and, through a backfit program, on selected BENJAMIN FRANKLIN-class boats. USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN was chosen for this upgrade during her second major overhaul. She entered Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in November 1979 for a refit that included installation of the TRIDENT I weapon system, associated navigation and fire-control upgrades, and further machinery maintenance. Shipyard work concluded on September 5, 1981, with the submarine emerging as a TRIDENT-capable SSBN.

Following post-overhaul trials, USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN conducted test launches of the new missile from the Eastern Test Range. On November 15, 1981, a TRIDENT I (C-4) missile designated for an advanced evaluation mission was fired from the submarine, demonstrating the new system's performance under operational conditions. After completing this test phase, she transitioned to full TRIDENT I operations. A nuclear-missile program chronology notes that on April 14, 1982, USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN deployed for an operational patrol following completion of her TRIDENT I conversion, marking her entry into front-line service as one of the TRIDENT I "backfit" boats that supplemented the growing OHIO-class force.

In the early 1980s, she continued to take part in regular weapon-system evaluations. On February 7, 1983, the Gold Crew successfully launched two TRIDENT I missiles during a Follow-on Operational Test on the Eastern Test Range, helping to validate missile reliability, accuracy and the ship's ability to conduct launch sequences after extended periods at sea. Later that year, on December 18, 1983, USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN completed her fifty-first deterrent patrol. This patrol was notable beyond the ship itself: it was recorded as the 2,200th strategic deterrent patrol completed by a U.S. fleet ballistic missile submarine, underscoring the maturity of the sea-based leg of the nuclear triad by the mid-Reagan era.

As OHIO-class submarines began to enter service in greater numbers, the Navy adjusted how some older SSBNs were employed between overhauls. In July 1985, USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, transferring to Submarine Squadron 8. There she operated temporarily as an "SSN asset", meaning she was used in roles more typical of attack submarines - such as exercises and fleet support - while awaiting the start of her next major overhaul. This reflected the Navy's need to balance strategic deterrent patrols with other submarine missions during a period of transition in the strategic force.

In July 1986 the submarine shifted to Charleston, South Carolina, entering Charleston Naval Shipyard for her third overhaul, which included a reactor refueling and further modernization of systems. A missile program chronology records that on July 25, 1986, USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN formally commenced this refueling overhaul at Charleston. She was noted as the last TRIDENT I backfit boat scheduled to enter such an overhaul in that fiscal year, illustrating how late in the life of the "41 for Freedom" force this major investment was being made. On December 6, 1988, the overhaul was reported complete, restoring the submarine to full operational status.

After post-overhaul shakedown and recertification - including a Blue Crew TRIDENT I missile launch on January 23, 1989, in support of a Demonstration and Shakedown Operation on the Eastern Test Range - USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN returned to strategic patrol duty. She was assigned to Submarine Squadron 18, with Charleston as homeport, and resumed patrols beginning with Patrol 58 in July 1989. In these final Cold War years, she operated in the Atlantic as part of the TRIDENT I backfit group that complemented the newer OHIO-class boats, maintaining continuous at-sea deterrent coverage while arms-control negotiations with the Soviet Union advanced toward the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I).

By October 1990, USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN had completed her sixty-second deterrent patrol. For her performance over this period, she was awarded Submarine Squadron 18's Battle Efficiency "E" and was named Atlantic Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine of the Year for Fiscal Year 1990, recognition that coincided with a second Meritorious Unit Commendation awarded to the boat for consistently meeting operational challenges with both crews. On October 22, 1990, she quietly marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of her commissioning while still an active part of the deterrent force.

The geopolitical context changed rapidly in the early 1990s. The Cold War ended, the Soviet Union dissolved, and the United States committed to deep reductions in strategic nuclear forces under START I and related initiatives. As new OHIO-class submarines took over the primary SSBN role, the older Polaris–Poseidon–Trident I boats of the BENJAMIN FRANKLIN- and LAFAYETTE-classes were designated for retirement. USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN completed a total of sixty-nine deterrent patrols during her career. She was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on November 23, 1993, after nearly three decades of continuous service in the strategic deterrent role.

Following decommissioning she entered the Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. Her reactor compartment was defueled, the pressure hull was cut up, and recyclable materials were recovered under strictly controlled procedures. The recycling process was completed on August 21, 1995, formally ending the material existence of USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.

back to top

Back to Ballistic Submarines list.

Back to ships list.

Back to selection page.

Back to 1^st page.