Beneath the waves a silent explorer once drifted. That explorer is the Ben Franklin. It stands before us now. This isn’t the statesman but a submarine. It’s a research vessel with a captivating history.
The Ben Franklin mesoscaphe is also known as the Grumman Piccard PX-15. It was built in 1968. The submersible was the brainchild of Jacques Piccard. He was a famous explorer and inventor. Piccard designed it to house a six-man crew. They could spend up to 30 days studying the ocean. The Ben Franklin was designed for deep dives in the Gulf Stream.
Between 1966 and 1968 the Ben Franklin was built. It was constructed at the Giovanola fabrication plant in Monthey Switzerland. Piccard worked with the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation. Donald B Terrana headed Grumman at that time. After construction it was disassembled. Then it was shipped to Florida. Interestingly the vessel is the first submarine. It was built to American Bureau of Shipping standards.
The Ben Franklin could withstand immense pressure. Its design crush depth was 4000 feet. That’s 1200 meters. The submarine was designed to drift. It maintained neutral buoyancy at depths of 600 to 2000 feet. That is 180 to 610 meters. This 130-ton ship has four external electric propulsion pods. They were mainly used for altitude trimming. Tons of lead batteries stored outside the hull powered it. The submarine measures 48 feet 9 inches long. Its beam is 21 feet 6 inches. The height is 20 feet. Piccard wanted 29 observation portholes. Engineers worried about weak points.
On July 14 1969 the Ben Franklin began its voyage. It started off Palm Beach Florida. Piccard was the mission leader. Surface support vessels accompanied it. The Ben Franklin resurfaced on August 14. It was 1444 miles away. That is 2324 kilometers. The location was 300 miles south of Halifax Nova Scotia Canada. The Ben Franklin made a few more dives after 1969. Robert Ballard even used it for his first deep-sea dive. He later discovered the wreck of the Titanic.
In 1971 the Ben Franklin ran aground. It was on a reef. Vancouver businessman John Horton bought it. But it sat unused for nearly three decades. It was on the North Shore. In December 1999 a decision had to be made. Either move or scrap the submersible. It was offered to the Vancouver Maritime Museum. After refurbishment the submersible was placed in front of the museum.
Imagine being confined within its steel hull. Imagine drifting silently in the Gulf Stream. NASA even wanted to study the crew. They wanted to see the psychological effects. They were confined for a month. It is believed to still rank as the longest underwater research dive. The submersible was named after Benjamin Franklin. This was because of his study of the Gulf Stream.
The Ben Franklin stands as a testament. It represents ingenuity and exploration. It reminds us of the depths we can reach. Both in the ocean and in human endeavor. This submarine’s story is a unique chapter. It is part of Vancouver’s maritime history.