Benjamin Franklin class submarine

USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN-640)
Class overview
Builders:	General Dynamics Electric Boat Newport News Shipbuilding Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Operators:	United States Navy
Preceded by:	James Madison-class
Succeeded by:	Ohio-class
Built:	1963 – 1967
In commission:	1965 – 2002
Completed:	12
General characteristics
Length:	425 ft (130 m)
Beam:	33 ft (10 m)
Draft:	31 ft (9.4 m)
Propulsion:	S5W reactor

The Benjamin Franklin class of submarine was an evolutionary development from the James Madison class of fleet ballistic missile submarine. Having quieter machinery and other improvements, they are considered a separate class. A subset of this class is the re-engineered 640 class starting with USS George C. Marshall (SSBN-654). The Benjamin Franklin class, together with the George Washington, Ethan Allen, Lafayette, and James Madison classes, comprise the "41 for Freedom."

The Benjamin Franklin-class submarines were built with the Polaris A-3 ballistic missile, and later converted to carry the Poseidon C-3. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, selected units were further modified to carry Trident-I (C-4) ballistic missiles.

Two submarines of this class were converted for delivery of special warfare units ashore. In the early 1990s, to make room for the Ohio class ballistic missile submarines within the limits set by the SALT II strategic arms limitation treaty, the ballistic missile tubes of USS Kamehameha (SSBN-642) and USS James K. Polk (SSBN-645) were disabled. Those boats were redesignated special operations attack submarines and given attack submarine (SSN) hull numbers.

USS Kamehameha was decommissioned on 2 April 2002, the last ship of the Benjamin Franklin class to be decommissioned.

Boats

Submarines of the Benjamin Franklin class: (Submarines marked with * indicate Trident C-4 ballistic missile conversions.)

• USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN-640) *
• USS Simon Bolivar (SSBN-641) *
• USS Kamehameha (SSBN-642)
• USS George Bancroft (SSBN-643) *
• USS Lewis and Clark (SSBN-644)
• USS James K. Polk (SSBN-645)
• USS George C. Marshall (SSBN-654)
• USS Henry L. Stimson (SSBN-655) *
• USS George Washington Carver (SSBN-656)
• USS Francis Scott Key (SSBN-657) *
• USS Mariano G. Vallejo (SSBN-658) *
• USS Will Rogers (SSBN-659)

See also

Media related to Benjamin Franklin class submarines at Wikimedia Commons

• 41 for Freedom Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines