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| The Ben Franklin when it arrived at the Vancouver Maritime Museum | | |
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| The Ben Franklin restored | | |
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After the Gulf Stream Mission Ben Franklin was used for a few more dives. In one 24-hour dive conducted off West Palm Beach, Florida geological and biological information about the Straits of Florida was gathered. One of the three crew members on board was Robert Ballard, now famous for his more than 100 deep sea expeditions. On April 12, 1970 off the Bahamas Ben Franklin was seriously damaged when it struck a coral reef after its mother ship’s mooring lines broke. In 1971 Horton Trading Ltd bought Ben Franklin and moved it to British Columbia. Horton planned to expand Ben Franklin by adding an extra portion to carry divers and a “lock-out” diving chamber and would be used for commercial work in the waters around British Columbia. This project was never carried out. Ben Franklin was eventually moved to Vancouver Shipyards in North Vancouver and stored for many years.
Ben Franklin sat untouched for many years at the Vancouver Shipyards in North Vancouver. In December 1999, Horton Trading Limited donated Ben Franklin to the Vancouver Maritime Museum. It was barged from North Vancouver to a boat ramp near the museum where it was lifted onto a truck and brought to its final resting place. With the help of volunteers, local companies and museum staff the submersible was cleaned, repainted in its original colours and re-assembled. |
