Benjamin Franklin-class
Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines
41 FOR FREEDOM — THE FINAL TWELVE
12 BOATS · SSBN-640 TO SSBN-659 · 1965–1967
The quietest and most capable boats of the 41 for Freedom program. Improved machinery silencing, better sonar, and SUBSAFE construction standards starting with George C. Marshall. Kamehameha held the record for longest nuclear submarine service life at nearly 37 years. Will Rogers, commissioned in 1967, completed the most ambitious submarine building program in history.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CLASS
USS Benjamin Franklin
Lead Ship of Class
Poseidon C-3
Missile
Charleston
Homeport
Decomm. 1993
Status
Lead ship of the final 41 for Freedom class. Quieter machinery, improved sonar, and the fairwater planes mounted halfway up the sail - the visual signature that distinguishes Franklins from earlier boomers. Named for the polymath Founding Father.
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BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CLASS
USS Simon Bolivar
Trident I Upgrade
Trident I C-4
Missile
Charleston
Homeport
Decomm. 1995
Status
Named for the Venezuelan revolutionary who liberated six South American nations from Spanish rule — 'The Liberator.' Upgraded to Trident I missiles for extended-range deterrent patrols.
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BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CLASS
USS Kamehameha
Last of the 41
Poseidon (removed)
Missile
Pearl Harbor
Homeport
Decomm. 2002
Status
The last boat of the original 41 for Freedom still in commission. Missiles removed and reclassified SSN-642 in 1992, then converted as a SEAL delivery platform with dry deck shelters. Decommissioned April 2, 2002, at nearly 37 years old — holding the record for the longest service life of any nuclear-powered submarine.
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BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CLASS
USS George Bancroft
Poseidon C-3
Missile
Charleston
Homeport
Decomm. 1993
Status
Named for the historian and statesman who founded the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. Carried Poseidon missiles on Atlantic deterrent patrols from Charleston and Kings Bay.
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BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CLASS
USS Lewis and Clark
Poseidon C-3
Missile
Charleston
Homeport
Decomm. 1992
Status
Named for the explorers who mapped the American West. Carried Poseidon missiles patrolling the Atlantic — exploring a different kind of uncharted territory beneath the waves.
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USS James K. Polk
SOF Platform
Trident I (removed)
Missile
Bangor
Homeport
Decomm. 1999
Status
Like Kamehameha, had her missiles removed and was reclassified SSN-645 for special warfare operations. Equipped with dry deck shelters for SEAL delivery from Bangor, Washington. Named for the 11th president who expanded the nation to the Pacific.
USS George C. Marshall
First SUBSAFE Boomer
Poseidon C-3
Missile
Charleston
Homeport
Decomm. 1992
Status
First ballistic missile submarine built under SUBSAFE rules established after the loss of USS Thresher in 1963. Earlier Franklins had to be retrofitted. Named for the general who led the Allied victory in WWII and whose Marshall Plan rebuilt Europe.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CLASS
USS Henry L. Stimson
Trident I Upgrade
Trident I C-4
Missile
Kings Bay
Homeport
Decomm. 1993
Status
Upgraded to Trident I missiles and homeported at Kings Bay, Georgia. Named for the Secretary of War who oversaw the Manhattan Project and recommended the atomic bombing of Japan — a man whose decisions shaped the very nuclear deterrent this submarine carried.
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BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CLASS
USS George Washington Carver
Trident I Upgrade
Trident I C-4
Missile
Charleston
Homeport
Decomm. 1993
Status
Named for the pioneering agricultural scientist born into slavery who revolutionized Southern farming. Upgraded to Trident I missiles for extended-range patrols from Charleston.
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BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CLASS
USS Francis Scott Key
Trident I Upgrade
Trident I C-4
Missile
Charleston
Homeport
Decomm. 1993
Status
Named for the author of 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' who watched Fort McHenry withstand British bombardment through the night. Her Trident missiles ensured no adversary would attempt a modern version of that bombardment.
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BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CLASS
USS Mariano G. Vallejo
Trident I Upgrade
Trident I C-4
Missile
Bangor
Homeport
Decomm. 1995
Status
Named for the Californio military leader and politician who helped bring California into the Union. Built at Mare Island and patrolled the Pacific from Bangor with Trident I missiles.
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USS Will Rogers
Last 41FF Commissioned
Poseidon C-3
Missile
Charleston
Homeport
Decomm. 1993
Status
The 41st and final boat of the 41 for Freedom program, commissioned April 1, 1967. Named for the beloved Oklahoma humorist and social commentator who never met a man he didn't like. Her commissioning completed the most ambitious submarine construction program in history.
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