.gif) USSBenjamin Franklin (SSBN-640) puts out to sea | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSBenjamin Franklin |
| Namesake | Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), an American journalist, publisher, author, philanthropist,abolitionist, public servant, scientist, librarian, diplomat, inventor, and Founding Father |
| Ordered | 1 November 1962 |
| Builder | General Dynamics Electric Boat |
| Laid down | 25 May 1963 |
| Launched | 5 December 1964 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Francis L. Moseley and Mrs. Leon V. Chaplin |
| Commissioned | 22 October 1965 |
| Decommissioned | 23 November 1993 |
| Stricken | 23 November 1993 |
| Fate | Scrapping viaShip and Submarine Recycling Program completed 21 August 1995 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Benjamin Franklin-classfleet ballistic missile submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 425 ft (130 m) |
| Beam | 33 ft (10 m) |
| Draft | 31 ft (9.4 m) |
| Installed power | 15,000 shp (11,185 kW) |
| Propulsion | OneS5W pressurized-water nuclear reactor, two gearedsteam turbines, one shaft |
| Speed | Over 20knots |
| Test depth | 1,300 feet (400 m) |
| Complement | Two crews (Blue Crew and Gold Crew) of 120 men each |
| Armament |
|
USSBenjamin Franklin (SSBN 640), thelead ship ofher class ofballistic missile submarine, was the only submarine of theUnited States Navy to be named forBenjamin Franklin (1706–1790), one of theFounding Fathers of the United States.a
The contract to buildBenjamin Franklin was awarded to theElectric Boat Division ofGeneral Dynamics Corporation inGroton, Connecticut, on 1 November 1962 and her keel was laid down there on 25 May 1963. She waslaunched on 5 December 1964, sponsored by Mrs. Francis L. Moseley and Mrs. Leon V. Chaplin, great, great, great, great, great-granddaughters of Benjamin Franklin,[1] andcommissioned on 22 October 1965, withCaptain Donald M. Miller commanding the Blue Crew andCommander Ross N. Williams commanding the Gold Crew.
On 6 December 1965, the Gold Crew successfully launched aPolaris A-3 ballistic missile in close coordination with an orbital pass of theGemini 7 astronautsFrank Borman andJim Lovell.[2]
Benjamin Franklin wasdecommissioned on 23 November 1993 and stricken from theNaval Vessel Register the same day. Her scrapping via the Nuclear-PoweredShip and Submarine Recycling Program inBremerton, Washington, was completed on 21 August 1995.
^a Five other ships in the United States Navy have been named for Franklin.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere. This article includes information collected from theNaval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in thepublic domain. The entry can be foundhere. | This article about a specific naval submarine of the United States is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
