Benjamin Franklin class submarine
The
Benjamin Franklin class of submarine was an evolutionary development from the
James Madison class of fleet ballistic missile submarine. The class was created in the early
1980s when its members, built as
James Madisons, were upgraded to an improved propulsion plant and the ability to carry the
Trident C-4 missile instead of the earlier
Polaris A-2. Together with
the
George Washington,
the
Ethan Allen,
the
Lafayette, and
the
James Madison
classes, they comprised the "41 for Freedom."
In the early 1980s, to make room for the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines within the limits set by SALT II, the missile tubes of
Kamehameha and
James K. Polk
were disabled. Those boats were redesignated special operations attack submarines and given SSN hull classification symbols.
Boats