[SAMWolf]

I thank your dad for his service. USS Bon Homme Richard

USS Bon Homme Richard, a 27,100-ton Essex class aircraft carrier, was built at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York. Commissioned in November 1944, she went to the Pacific in March 1945 and in June joined the fast carriers in the combat zone and took part in the final raids on Japan. With the end of hostilities in mid-August, Bon Homme Richard continued operations off Japan until September, when she returned to the United States. "Magic Carpet" personnel transportation service occupied her into 1946. She was thereafter generally inactive until decommissioning at Seattle, Washington, in January 1947.

The outbreak of the Korean War in late June 1950 called Bon Homme Richard back to active duty. She recommissioned in January 1951 and deployed to the Western Pacific that May, launching her planes against enemy targets in Korea until the deployment ended late in the year. A second combat tour followed in May-December 1952, during which she was redesignated CVA-31. The carrier decommissioned in May 1953 to undergo a major conversion to equip her to operate high-performance jet aircraft.

Bon Homme Richard emerged from the shipyard with an angled and strengthened flight deck, enclosed "hurricane" bow, steam catapults, a new island, wider beam and many other improvements. Recommissioned in September 1955, she began the first of a long series of Seventh Fleet deployments. Additional Western Pacific cruises followed in 1957, 1958-1959, 1959-60, 1961, 1962-63, and 1964, with the last including a voyage into the Indian Ocean.

The Vietnam war escalation in early 1965 brought Bon Homme Richard into a third armed conflict, and she deployed on five Southeast Asia combat tours over the next six years. Her aircraft battled North Vietnamese MiGs on many occasions, downing several, as well as striking transportation and infrastructure targets. Occasional excursions to other Asian areas provided some variety to her operations. Bon Homme Richard was ordered inactivated at the end of her 1970 deployment. She decommissioned in July 1971, becoming part of the Reserve Fleet at Bremerton, Washington. Following two decades in "mothballs" she was sold for scrapping in March 1992.

[Wednesday's Child]

Thank you for that picture . I have done some research on the Bon Homme. I truly wish I had known in 1992 that she was going to be scrapped. Pieces of the landing deck were sold with the logo of the Bon Homme along with it's commissioning date. He does have a beautiful picture of her and the other two ships he proudly served on, but it would have given my father great joy to have had a part of her.

[Diver Dave]

Evenin' SAM. Very informative history lesson today. I like your in-depth studies you bring each day.

My first introduction to the Bonnie Dick was when I was in boot camp circa 63. My Company Commander (DI equivalent) served in the Bonnie Dick. As we looked out the windows of our barracks we could see her moored over at North Island NAS, San Diego with the bright "31" on her island all aglow at night.

Later while serving in the fleet, we worked on many of the Bonnie's piping systems and we seemed to serve at corresponding times in WESTPAC.

It's always sad to read about a man-of-war being sold for scrap. My ship suffered the same fate after it had been sold to the Turkish Navy. Seems criminal to consider what was our "home" for so many years is sold for bid for scrap. Some of the "lucky" ships were later used as targets, sinking to Davy Jones Locker in one final act of honor to the United States of America and The US Navy.

On the bright side, perhaps some of that recycled steel will be part of the machinery that takes down SADDAM and Al Quida.