At 8:56 P.M. (EDT) July 14, 1969, Grumman Aerospace Corporation's research submarine Ben Franklin slipped beneath the surface of the Atlantic off the coast of Palm Beach, Florida.

Its mission: to investigate the secrets of the Gulf Stream as it drifted northward at depths of 600-2,000 feet; to learn the effects on man of a long-duration, closed-environment stressful voyage; to demonstrate the engineering-operational concepts of longterm submersible operation; and to conduct other scientific oceanographic studies.

This longest privately-sponsored undersea experiment of its kind ended more than 30-days and 1,444 nautical miles later, when the Franklin and its crew of six surfaced some 300 miles south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, at 7:58 A.M. August 14, 1969. Both craft and crew were fine.

Manufacturer: Grumman/Piccard

Displacement: 130 tons

Length: 48 feet, 9 inches

Beam (over motor guards): 21 feet, 6 inches

Height: 20 feet

Operational Depth: 2000 feet

Collapse Depth: 4000 feet

Submerged Speed: (maximum) 4 knots

Life Support: 6 persons for 6 weeks

Payload: 5 tons

Total Power: 756 Kwh

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