The “Ben Franklin” was once the largest non-military submersible in the world and it is now at the Vancouver Maritime Museum. In 1969 the “Ben Franklin” made a 30-day dive that made NASA history. The “Ben Franklin” was used as a laboratory to see how people respond to a prolonged voyage in an enclosed capsule, including sleep quality and patterns, sense of humor and behavioral shifts, physical reflexes, and the effects of a long-term routine on the crew. The lessons learned from that mission are used today in NASA’s plans to send people into deep space.
The “Ben Franklin” was purchased by a Vancouver businessman for private use, but it sat disassembled and slowly rusting, for 30 years. He donated the submersible to the Vancouver Maritime Museum. The Museum's director James Delgado, an American underwater archaeologist, realized the importance of restoring the “Ben Franklin”. He did this with the help of Vancouver businesses and volunteers. James Delgado contacted the former crewmembers of the “Ben Franklin”, and also the company who originally built the submersible. In 2002 The Vancouver Maritime Museum hosted a reunion of the original crew of the “Ben Franklin”.
The submersible is now part of the exhibit at the Museum. The interior of the sub is not open to the public yet. However, if you click on this link, you can take a virtual tour of the sub. And if you live in Vancouver, check out the Vancouver Maritime Museum. It’s full of wonderful treasures.