Benthos announces fiscal 1996 sales and earnings.

NORTH FALMOUTH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 13, 1996--Benthos, Inc. announced today record sales of $11,723,000 for the fiscal year ended September 30, 1996, a 46 percent increase as compared with sales of $8,014,000 for fiscal 1995.

Net income for fiscal 1996, also a record, was $1,171,000 or $1.34 per share, an increase of 623 percent as compared with a net income of $162,000 or $0.18 per share in fiscal 1995.

Fourth quarter sales for fiscal 1996 were $2,849,000, a 57 percent as compared with sales of $1,819,000 for the fourth quarter of last year. Net income for the fourth quarter was $214,000 compared with a net loss $77,000 for the fourth quarter of last year.

Order backlog at the end of fiscal 1996 was $3,513,000 compared with $2,568,000 at the end of the prior fiscal year. Current order backlog is $8,020,000.

Benthos continues to grow in both operating divisions. The Company's Undersea Systems Division is benefiting from sales growth of its RDA hydrophones which are used in offshore oil exploration, as well as increases in sales of DSC 5010 Digital Still Cameras, and E-ROV remotely operated vehicles, used to inspect the underwater areas of nuclear power plants. The Undersea Systems Division experienced a 25 percent sales growth in fiscal 1996 compared with the previous fiscal year.

The TapTone Container Inspection Division also registered impressive sales growth as major domestic and international customers in the beer, beverage, food packaging, and pharmaceutical industries continue to realize the quality control benefits of installing the company's patented container inspection systems. In fiscal 1996, TapTone sales grew to $6,255,000 a 72 percent increase compared to sales of $3,643,000 in 1995.

The company has recently applied for registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission and for a listing of its common stock on the Nasdaq Small Cap market.

Further details will be released in January of 1997 in the company's annual report. The annual meeting of shareholders will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 7, 1997.

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                               BENTHOS INC.
                   COMPARATIVE CONDENSED INCOME STATEMENT

                        4th Quarter Ended         Fiscal Year Ended
                       9/30/96     9/30/95       9/30/96     9/30/95
                          (unaudited)                 (audited)

Net Sales           $2,849,000  $1,819,000   $11,723,000  $8,014,000
Net Income (Loss)     $214,000    $(77,000)   $1,171,000    $162,000
Net Income (Loss)
 Per Share                $.24      $(0.09)        $1.34       $0.18
Weighted Average
 Common & Common
 Equivalent Shares
 Outstanding           890,251     890,111       871,281     890,111

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Benthos Inc., designs, manufactures, sells and services oceanographic and robotic equipment for inspection, exploration and research; and TapTone inspection systems for testing the seal integrity of consumer containers made of glass, metal or plastic. The company is ISO 9001 certified. Benthos stock is currently traded over the counter and is listed on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol BTHS. -0-

URL address: http://benthos.com

CONTACT: Benthos Inc.

Peter Zentz, 508/563-1000