History of the USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN-640)

Veterans & Mesothelioma > Asbestos on Navy Ships > Submarines of the United States Navy: (Post-World War II Era) > USS Benjamin Franklin

USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN-640): History, Patrols, Crews

Commissioning
The USS Benjamin Franklin was the first member and namesake of a new class of nuclear powered ballistic missile submarines. It was named in honor of Benjamin Franklin, the famous printer, inventor, ambassador and signer of both the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. It was the fifth U.S. Navy vessel to carry the name.

The contract to build the Benjamin Franklin was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corp.’s Groton, Conn., shipyard on Nov. 1, 1962. Her keel was laid down on May 25, 1963; she was launched on Dec. 5, 1964. She was commissioned on Oct. 22, 1965, with Capt. Donald M. Miller commanding the Blue Crew and Commander Ross N. Williams in command of the Gold Crew.

Underway
Shortly after completing her shakedown cruise, the Benjamin Franklin’s Gold Crew received their first opportunity to test fire a Polaris A-3 missile. The launch took place on Dec. 6, 1965, in conjunction with the flight of NASA’s Gemini 7 mission. The missile was fired as the Gemini capsule, piloted by astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, passed overhead. The Blue Crew would test fire their first Polaris missile two weeks later.

After the test launches, the Benjamin Franklin was ordered to join the Pacific Fleet and arrived at Pearl Harbor on April 20, 1966. It began its first deterrent patrol to the Western Pacific on May 6. The patrol lasted more than two months, ending on July 11 at Apra Harbor in Guam.

After three years of service without incident, the Benjamin Franklin received her first Meritorious Unit Commendation on Feb. 27, 1969 in recognition of “sustaining an exceptionally high state of readiness.” The Benjamin Franklin would win two more Meritorious Unit Commendations in 1970 in rapid succession. The first would be in recognition of her outstanding service between July 1968 and October 1970; the second would be recognizing her next deployment, between October and November of the same year.

In 1970, the Benjamin Franklin also went into drydock at New London, Conn., for an overhaul. She returned to the water in May 1972.
After 14 years of service carrying Polaris missiles, the Benjamin Franklin returned to drydock in November 1979 for another major overhaul. This overhaul included the installation of the new Trident 1 nuclear missile system and was completed in September 1981.
In December 1983, the Benjamin Franklin completed her 51st patrol and the 2200th deterrent patrol made by a U.S. Navy Ballistic Missile Submarine. In July 1985, she was transferred to Norfolk, Va., where she was homeported until July 1986. At that time, she underwent another overhaul and reactor refueling at Charleston, S.C., that was completed in November 1988.

In October 1990, the Benjamin Franklin won the Battle Efficiency “E” for outstanding combat preparedness for Submarine Squadron 18 and was named the Atlantic Fleet’s Ballistic Missile Submarine of the year. She also received her last Meritorious Unit Commendation.

Decommissioning
After 69 deterrent patrols, the Benjamin Franklin was decommissioned without having fired a missile in combat in November 1993. She later entered the Navy’s Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program at Bremerton, Wash., and was later scrapped.

Characteristics of the USS Benjamin Franklin: (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Displacement: 6,494 tons
Length: 129.5 m (425 ft)
Beam: 10 m (33 ft)
Draft: 9.6 m (32 ft)
Propulsion: S5W reactor
Speed: 16 knots (30 km/h) surfaced, 21 knots (39 km/h) submerged
Test depth: 400 m (1,300 ft)
Complement: two crews of 14 officers and 126 enlisted men each
Armament: 16 missile tubes, 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes

Career:
Name: USS Benjamin Franklin
Ordered: 1 November 1962
Builder: General Dynamics Electric Boat
Laid down: 25 May 1963
Launched: 5 December 1964
Commissioned: 22 October 1965
Decommissioned: 23 November 1993
Struck: 23 November 1993
Fate: Submarine recycling

Timeline:

November 1982: USS Benjamin Franklin ordered
May 1963: Keel of USS Benjamin Franklin laid down
December 1964: USS Benjamin Franklin launched
October 1965: USS Benjamin Franklin commissioned
December 1965: USS Benjamin Franklin test fires Polaris missile in conjunction with Gemini 7 mission
February 1969: USS Benjamin Franklin receives first Meritorious Unit Commendation
November 1979: USS Benjamin Franklin undergoes overhaul and receives Trident nuclear missile system
October 1990: USS Benjamin Franklin wins Atlantic Fleet Submarine of the Year award
November 1993: USS Benjamin Franklin decommissioned

Crewmembers of the USS Benjamin Franklin:

An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Benjamin Franklin can be found on the unofficial navy website at: http://navysite.de. This list is compiled by former crewmembers that voluntarily register. Some quoted comments from former crewmembers are listed below; many more are available on the source website at the following Web address:
http://www.navysite.de/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=903

Tom White (served September 1980—May 1984): “Although I hated it at the time, all the good stories I have to tell my kids start with "When I was in the Navy..."
Robert Bowen (served December 1980—February 1983): “Our crew made the time away from family less painful. We set out to do our job and our duty, and the ship served us well! The test launch of a trident missile was one of the highlights of my tour on her.”
Rick Collins (served January 1981—June 1985): “Good Boat Great Crew.”
Mark Potochny (served March 1981—December 1985): “first submarine i was ever assigned to the first one always holds special memories both good and bad this one was like that.”

Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Benjamin_Franklin_(SSBN-640)
http://www.ssbn640.com/640techdesc.htm

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