Keel laid
Construction began May 25 at Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut.
41 for Freedom · United States Navy · 1965–1993
USS Benjamin FranklinSSBN-640
The ship. The crews. The legacy.
Dedicated to the men who served aboard the nuclear-powered fleet ballistic missile submarine USS Benjamin Franklin.
69Deterrent patrols
425 ftOverall length
16Missile tubes
2Blue & Gold crews
A Cold War sentinel
Built for deterrence.
Remembered for her crew.
Named for the American statesman, scientist, and diplomat, USS Benjamin Franklin was the first ship of the 640 class and the Navy’s 32nd Polaris missile submarine.
From her commissioning in New London through 69 deterrent patrols, Blue and Gold crews kept the boat ready and at sea across nearly three decades of service.
Commissioned
Entered service October 22 following successful sea trials.
First patrol
The Blue Crew departed May 6 and completed the first Polaris deterrent patrol.
Poseidon conversion
Returned to the deterrent force after conversion at Electric Boat.
Trident I
Completed overhaul with the Trident I weapons system installed.
Watch complete
Decommissioned after 69 patrols and 28 years of service.
SSBN-640
The boat
A Benjamin Franklin-class fleet ballistic missile submarine, built by General Dynamics Electric Boat and powered by an S5W nuclear reactor.
Read the complete technical history- Displacement
- 8,250 tonssubmerged
- Length
- 425 feet
- Beam
- 33 feet
- Speed
- 25+ knotssubmerged
- Test depth
- 800+ feet
- Complement
- 125
- Torpedo tubes
- 4
- Missile tubes
- 16
Blue & Gold
Two crews. One mission.
Alternating crews enabled the boat to remain at sea for more than eight months of the year while preserving training, readiness, and time ashore.
Blue Crew
Shared responsibility for patrols, refits, training, and the exacting standards of strategic deterrence.
Gold Crew
A parallel crew with the same qualifications, watch stations, and commitment to bringing ship and shipmates home.
Read “My 640 Time”From Portsmouth in August 1979 through Charleston and Kings Bay in August 1985, I served aboard USS Benjamin Franklin as an FTB2/SS.
Original site directory
Every page, still connected.
All destinations from the original SSBN640.com sidebar are preserved here.
MainHome
About the boatTechnicals
Organization640 Association
Gathering2004 Reunion
Gathering2015 Reunion
Gathering2017 Reunion
Gathering2019 Reunion
Gathering2025 Reunion
Next gathering2027 Reunion
Shipmates640 Roster
MemoriesPhoto Gallery
Personal historyMy 640 Time
In memoriam640 Obituaries
Life aboardCrews & Rates
ReferenceWorld Sub Listing
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