View source for Benjamin Franklin-class submarine

{{short description|Submarine class of the United States Navy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN-640).gif
|Ship caption={{USS|Benjamin Franklin|SSBN-640|6}}
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Benjamin Franklin'' class
|Builders=*[[General Dynamics Electric Boat|Electric Boat]], CT (6)
*[[Newport News Shipbuilding]], VA (4)
*[[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]],<ref name="Conways p612">Gardiner and Chumbley 1995, p.612.</ref> CA (2)
|Operators={{naval|United States}}
|Class before={{sclass|James Madison|submarine|4}} 
|Class after={{sclass|Ohio|submarine|4}}
|Subclasses=
|Cost=
|Built range=1963–1967<ref name="Conways p612"/>
|In service range=
|In commission range= 1965–2002<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.navsource.net/archives/08/06idx.htm |title=''Benjamin Franklin'' class |website=NavSource}}</ref>
|Total ships building=
|Total ships planned=
|Total ships completed=12
|Total ships cancelled=
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=
|Total ships retired=12
|Total ships preserved=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Nuclear submarine|Nuclear-powered]] [[ballistic missile submarine]]
|Ship displacement=Surfaced: {{convert|7325|LT|t|0|lk=in|abbr=on}}
Submerged: {{convert|8251|LT|t|0|lk=in|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1">{{cite book | last = Friedman | first = Norman | title = U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History | publisher = [[United States Naval Institute]] | year = 1994 | location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]] | pages = 199–203, 244 | isbn = 1-55750-260-9 }}</ref>
|Ship length={{convert|425|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1"/>
|Ship beam={{convert|33|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1"/>
|Ship draft={{convert|28|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1"/>
|Ship depth=
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=*1 × [[S5W]] [[Pressurized water reactor|PWR]]
*2 geared [[steam turbine]]s ({{convert|15000|shp|abbr=on}}),
*1 shaft<ref name="FriedmanSubs1"/>
|Ship speed=*{{convert|16|kn|abbr=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|21|kn|abbr=on}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1"/>
|Ship range=
|Ship endurance=
|Ship test depth={{convert|1300|ft|m}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1"/>
|Ship complement=Two crews of 14 officers and 126 enlisted<ref name="FriedmanSubs1"/>
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*16 [[Polaris missile|Polaris A3]] or [[UGM-73 Poseidon|Poseidon C3]] or [[UGM-96 Trident I|Trident I C4 missiles]]
* 4 × [[American 21-inch torpedo|21-inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s, 13 [[torpedoes]]<ref name="FriedmanSubs1"/>
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
The '''''Benjamin Franklin'' class''' of [[United States Navy|US]] [[ballistic missile submarine]]s were in service from the 1960s to the 2000s. The class was an evolutionary development from the earlier {{sclass|James Madison|submarine|4}} of fleet ballistic missile submarine.  Having quieter machinery and other improvements, it is considered a separate class. A subset of this class is the re-engineered 640 class starting with {{USS|George C. Marshall|SSBN-654|6}}. The primary difference was that they were built under the new SUBSAFE rules after the loss of {{USS|Thresher|SSN-593|6}}, earlier boats of the class had to be retrofitted to meet SUBSAFE requirements.  The ''Benjamin Franklin'' class, together with the {{sclass|George Washington|submarine|5}}, {{sclass|Ethan Allen|submarine|5}}, {{sclass|Lafayette|submarine|5}}, and ''James Madison'' classes, comprised the "[[41 for Freedom]]" submarines that were the Navy's primary contribution to the [[nuclear deterrent]] force through the late 1980s. This class and the ''James Madison'' class are combined with the ''Lafayette''s in some references.

==Design==

The ''Benjamin Franklin''-class submarines were built with the [[Polaris missile|Polaris A-3]] [[ballistic missile]], and in the early 1970s were converted to carry the [[Poseidon missile|Poseidon C-3]] missile.  During the late 1970s and early 1980s, six boats were further modified to carry the [[UGM-96 Trident I|Trident I (C-4)]] missile, along with six ''James Madison''-class boats. These were ''Benjamin Franklin'', ''Simon Bolivar'', ''George Bancroft'', ''Henry L. Stimson'', ''Francis Scott Key'', and ''Mariano G. Vallejo''.<ref name="Conways p612"/>

In response to the loss of {{USS|Thresher|SSN-593|6}} in April 1963, this class was designed to [[SUBSAFE]] standards and its equipment was similar to the {{sclass|Sturgeon|submarine|0}} fast [[attack submarine]]s (SSNs). Previous US SSBNs except the ''George Washington'' class had equipment similar to the {{sclass|Thresher|submarine|0}} SSNs.

This class can be distinguished by the [[fairwater plane]]s' location halfway up the sail; the ''Lafayette''s and ''James Madison''s had the fairwater planes in the upper front portion of the sail.

Two submarines of this class were converted for delivery of up to 66 [[United States Navy SEALs|SEALs]] or other [[Special Operations Forces]] each. In the early 1990s, to make room for the {{sclass|Ohio|submarine|0}} ballistic missile submarines within the limits set by the [[SALT II]] strategic arms limitation treaty, the ballistic missile tubes of {{USS|Kamehameha|SSBN-642|2}} and {{USS|James K. Polk|SSBN-645|2}} were disabled. Those boats were redesignated [[special operations]] [[attack submarine]]s and given attack submarine (SSN) [[hull classification symbols]]. They were equipped with [[dry deck shelter]]s to accommodate [[SEAL Delivery Vehicle]]s or other equipment.<ref name="Conways p612"/>

==Fate==
The ''Benjamin Franklin''s were decommissioned between 1992 and 2002 to comply with [[SALT II]] treaty limitations as the {{sclass|Ohio|submarine|4}} SSBNs entered service, for their age, and because of the [[collapse of the Soviet Union]].<ref name="Conways p612"/> USS ''Kamehameha'' was [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] on 2 April 2002, the last ship of the ''Benjamin Franklin'' class to be decommissioned.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.navsource.net/archives/08/08642.htm |title=''Kamehameha'' |website=NavSource}}</ref>

The [[Sail (submarine)|sail]] of ''George Bancroft'' is preserved at the [[Naval Submarine Base King's Bay]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. ''James K. Polk''{{'}}s sail is on display at the [[National Museum of Nuclear Science & History]]<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.nuclearmuseum.org/see/exhibits/heritage-park/
|title=Heritage Park
|publisher=[[National Museum of Nuclear Science & History]]
|access-date=17 August 2012
}}</ref> in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]], [[New Mexico]]. ''Mariano G. Vallejo''{{'}}s sail is preserved at [[Mare Island]], [[California]], where she was built. The sail of ''Lewis and Clark'' is on display at the Patriot's Point Maritime Museum in Charleston, South Carolina.

== Boats in class==

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+ List of ''Benjamin Franklin''-class submarines<ref name="Conways p612"/>
|-
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Hull no.
! scope="col" | Builder
! scope="col" data-sort-type="date" | Laid down
! scope="col" data-sort-type="date" | Launched 
! scope="col" data-sort-type="date" | Commissioned
! scope="col" data-sort-type="date" | Decommissioned
! scope="col" | Fate{{efn-lg|name=fate}}
|-
! scope="row" |{{USS|Benjamin Franklin|SSBN-640|2}}{{nbsp}}{{efn-lg|name=conv}}
! scope="row" |SSBN-640
|[[General Dynamics Electric Boat]]
|25 May 1963
|5 December 1964
|22 October 1965
|23 November 1993
|data-sort-value="1995" | {{abbr|disp.|disposed of}} 1995
|-
! scope="row" |{{USS|Simon Bolivar|SSBN-641|2}}{{nbsp}}{{efn-lg|name=conv}}
! scope="row" |SSBN-641
|[[Newport News Shipbuilding|Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.]]
|17 April 1963
|22 August 1964
|29 October 1965
|8 February 1995
|data-sort-value="1995" | {{abbr|disp.|disposed of}} 1995
|-
! scope="row" |{{USS|Kamehameha|SSBN-642|2}}
! scope="row" |SSBN-642
|[[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]]
|2 May 1963
|16 January 1965
|10 December 1965
|2 April 2002
|data-sort-value="2003" | {{abbr|disp.|disposed of}} 2003
|-
! scope="row" |{{USS|George Bancroft|SSBN-643|2}}{{nbsp}}{{efn-lg|name=conv}}
! scope="row" |SSBN-643
|[[General Dynamics Electric Boat]]
|24 August 1963
|20 March 1965
|22 January 1966
|21 September 1993
|data-sort-value="1998" | {{abbr|disp.|disposed of}} 1998
|-
! scope="row" |{{USS|Lewis and Clark|SSBN-644|2}}
! scope="row" |SSBN-644
|[[Newport News Shipbuilding|Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.]]
|29 July 1963
|21 November 1964
|22 December 1965
|27 June 1992
|data-sort-value="1996" | {{abbr|disp.|disposed of}} 1996
|-
! scope="row" |{{USS|James K. Polk|SSBN-645|2}}
! scope="row" |SSBN-645
|[[General Dynamics Electric Boat]]
|23 November 1963
|22 May 1965
|16 April 1966
|8 July 1999
|data-sort-value="2000" | {{abbr|disp.|disposed of}} 2000
|-
! scope="row" |{{USS|George C. Marshall|SSBN-654|2}}
! scope="row" |SSBN-654
|[[Newport News Shipbuilding|Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.]]
|2 March 1964
|21 May 1965
|29 April 1966
|24 September 1992
|data-sort-value="1994" | {{abbr|disp.|disposed of}} 1994
|-
! scope="row" |{{USS|Henry L. Stimson|SSBN-655|2}}{{nbsp}}{{efn-lg|name=conv}}
! scope="row" |SSBN-655
|[[General Dynamics Electric Boat]]
|4 April 1964
|13 November 1965
|20 August 1966
|5 May 1993
|data-sort-value="1994" | {{abbr|disp.|disposed of}} 1994
|-
! scope="row" |{{USS|George Washington Carver|SSBN-656|2}}
! scope="row" |SSBN-656
|[[Newport News Shipbuilding|Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.]]
|24 August 1964
|14 August 1965
|15 June 1966
|18 March 1993
|data-sort-value="1994" | {{abbr|disp.|disposed of}} 1994
|-
! scope="row" |{{USS|Francis Scott Key|SSBN-657|2}}{{nbsp}}{{efn-lg|name=conv}}
! scope="row" |SSBN-657
|[[General Dynamics Electric Boat]]
|5 December 1964
|23 April 1966
|3 December 1966
|2 September 1993
|data-sort-value="1995" | {{abbr|disp.|disposed of}} 1995
|-
! scope="row" |{{USS|Mariano G. Vallejo|SSBN-658|2}}{{nbsp}}{{efn-lg|name=conv}}
! scope="row" |SSBN-658
|[[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]]
|7 July 1964
|23 October 1965
|16 December 1966
|9 March 1995
|data-sort-value="1995" | {{abbr|disp.|disposed of}} 1995
|-
! scope="row" |{{USS|Will Rogers|SSBN-659|2}}
! scope="row" |SSBN-659
|[[General Dynamics Electric Boat]]
|20 March 1965
|21 July 1966
|1 April 1967
|12 April 1993
|data-sort-value="1994" | {{abbr|disp.|disposed of}} 1994
|}
{{notelist-lg|refs=
{{efn-lg|name=fate|All ''Benjamin Franklin''-class submarines were disposed of through the [[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program]]. The year in the '''Fate''' column indicates the disposal year of the submarine.}}
{{efn-lg|name=conv|Submarine was converted to carry the [[UGM-96 Trident I|Trident I (C-4)]] ballistic missile.}}
}}

== See also ==
* [[List of submarines of the United States Navy]]
* [[List of submarine classes of the United States Navy]]

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
*Gardiner, Robert and Chumbley, Stephen (editors). ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995''. Annapolis, USA: Naval Institute Press, 1995. {{ISBN|1-55750-132-7}}.
*Polmar, Norman. ''The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet: Twelfth Edition''. London:Arms and Armour Press, 1981. {{ISBN|0-85368-397-2}}.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140822091054/http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/s_SSBN.htm US Naval Vessel Register - List of SSBN BALLISTIC MISSILE SUBMARINE (NUCLEAR-POWERED) Class vessels]
*{{DANFS}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Benjamin Franklin class submarines|''Benjamin Franklin'' class submarines}}
* [http://www.navsource.net/archives/08/06idx.htm NavSource SSBN photo gallery index]

{{Benjamin Franklin class submarine}}
{{US submarine classes after 1945}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benjamin Franklin Class Submarine}}
[[Category:Submarine classes]]
[[Category:Benjamin Franklin-class submarines| ]]
[[Category:Cold War submarines of the United States| Benjamin Franklin class]]