Five United States Navy ships have been named USS Franklin, the first four after Benjamin Franklin, and the fifth, the aircraft carrier CV-13, perpetuating the name of the previous ships (it was not the usual practice at the time to name carriers after individuals).

• The first Franklin was a 6-gun schooner, fitted out in 1775 and returned to the owner in 1776.

• The second Franklin was a 8-gun brig built in 1795, captured by corsairs from Tripoli in 1802, bought back by the Navy in 1805, and sold in 1807.

• The third Franklin was a 74-gun ship of the line launched in 1815 and broken up in 1852.

• The fourth Franklin was a screw frigate launched in 1864 and in active service until 1877, thereafter used as a receiving ship until 1915.

• The fifth Franklin (CV-13) was an aircraft carrier commissioned in 1944 and crippled by bombs in March 1945, later repaired but remaining in reserve until decommissioning in 1964.

Another Franklin was the carrier Franklin D. Roosevelt.