USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31)
History of the USS Bon Homme Richard Aircraft Carrier
The USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31), nicknamed “Bonnie Dick,” was ordered for the U.S. Navy on July 9, 1942. Her keel was laid down at Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York on February 1, 1943. She was launched on April 29, 1944 and commissioned on November 26, 1944 under the command of Captain
A.O. Rule, Jr.
USS Bon Homme Richard joined the Navy’s Pacific Fleet toward the end of World War II. In June 1945, she joined the fast carriers to participate in the final raids on the Japanese home islands. She continued to operate off the coast of Japan until September. Under Operation Magic Carpet, she brought American military personnel back home from the war zone until 1946. She was decommissioned on January 9, 1947.
When the Korean War broke out, the USS Bon Homme Richard was recommissioned as CV-31 on January 15, 1951 under the command of Captain Cecil B. Gill. She headed to Korea to launch air strikes against North Korean targets. During her second tour of duty from May to December 1952, she was redesignated CVA-31 and participated in the air strikes on Sui-ho Dam and Pyongyang. She was again decommissioned from May 1953 until September 1955 while she underwent a conversion to equip her for handling high-performance jets.
After she was recommissioned, the USS Bon Homme Richard was deployed a number of times as a member of the 7th Fleet. She took part in cruises to the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean from 1957 until 1964.
When the Vietnam War began, USS Bon Homme Richard found herself involved in her third armed conflict. She was deployed on five combat tours in Southeast Asia from 1965 to 1970. Her planes fought with and downed North Vietnamese MiGs and struck infrastructure and transportation targets.
USS Bon Homme Richard was decommissioned for the last time on July 7, 1971. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on September 20, 1989 and sold for scrap in March 1992. The aircraft carrier earned one battle star for her service in World War II and five battle stars in the Korean War.
The use of asbestos was common in shipbuilding components for much of the 20th Century because of its resistance to heat, fire, water and corrosion. Because of their asbestos exposure onboard ship and in the shipyards, seaman, shipyard workers and longshoreman are at risk for developing asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma .
Sources include:
John Hedley-Whyte and Debra R Milamed, "Asbestos and Ship-Building: Fatal Consequences," Ulster
Med. J. 77(3):191-200 (Sep 2008)
Naval Historical Center, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships—USS Bon Homme Richard II
U.S. Navy, A Brief History of Aircraft Carriers – USS Bon Homme Richard
