Benjamin Franklin-class (SSBN-640)

The Benjamin Franklin class was a series of 12 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines operated by the United States Navy. Built between 1963 and 1967 by Electric Boat, Newport News Shipbuilding, and Mare Island Naval Shipyard, the class was an evolutionary development of the preceding James Madison class. These vessels, alongside the George Washington, Ethan Allen, Lafayette, and James Madison classes, comprised the "41 for Freedom" fleet that formed the sea-based component of the United States nuclear deterrent through the late 1980s.

Design specifications for the class incorporated SUBSAFE standards established following the loss of USS Thresher. While earlier vessels in the class required retrofitting to meet these requirements, later units starting with USS George C. Marshall were constructed to these standards from the outset. The class utilized internal equipment similar to that of the Sturgeon-class fast attack submarines. The Benjamin Franklin class is distinguished from the Lafayette and James Madison classes by the placement of the fairwater planes halfway up the sail.

The submarines underwent multiple missile system transitions during their service lives. Initially equipped with Polaris A-3 missiles, the fleet was converted to carry Poseidon C-3 missiles in the early 1970s. Between the late 1970s and early 1980s, six units—Benjamin Franklin, Simon Bolivar, George Bancroft, Henry L. Stimson, Francis Scott Key, and Mariano G. Vallejo—were further modified to carry Trident I (C-4) missiles.

In the early 1990s, the Navy converted USS Kamehameha and USS James K. Polk into special operations attack submarines to comply with SALT II treaty limitations. Their ballistic missile tubes were disabled, and the boats were redesignated with SSN hull classification symbols. These units were equipped with dry deck shelters to accommodate SEAL Delivery Vehicles and up to 66 Special Operations Forces personnel.

The class remained in commission from 1965 to 2002. Decommissioning occurred between 1992 and 2002, prompted by the arrival of the Ohio class, the age of the hulls, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. All 12 vessels were processed through the Ship-Submarine Recycling Program. USS Kamehameha was the final unit of the class to be decommissioned on April 2, 2002. The sails of the George Bancroft, James K. Polk, Mariano G. Vallejo, and Lewis and Clark are preserved at various naval bases and museums.