USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) to Hold Decommissioning Ceremony

SAN DIEGO, UNITED STATES

04.07.2021

Courtesy Story

Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

SAN DIEGO -- The U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), will hold a decommissioning ceremony April 14, 2021 in San Diego, California.

Due to public health and safety concerns related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the ceremony will be limited in attendance by invitation only.

A Wasp-class LHD, Bonhomme Richard is the third of its name. With a crew of 1,100 officers and enlisted personnel, they are capable of carrying an additional 1,900 Marines. The first to bear the name was John Paul Jones’ Continental frigate, named for then U.S. ambassador to France, Benjamin Franklin.

Wasp-class LHDs, the largest amphibious ships in the world, are designed to support the Marine Corps, serving as the cornerstone of the amphibious ready group (ARG) or expeditionary strike group (ESG). These ships transport and land elements of the Marine expeditionary unit (MEU) or Marine expeditionary brigade (MEB) with a combination of aircraft and landing craft. Capable of sailing in harm's way to enable rapid combat power buildup ashore in the face of opposition, they are also called upon to also support humanitarian and other contingency missions on short notice.

Bonhomme Richard was built in Pascagoula, Mississippi, by Ingalls Shipbuilding and was commissioned on Aug. 15, 1998.

Bonhomme Richard is being decommissioned due to extensive damage sustained during a shipboard fire in July of last year. The Navy has taken numerous immediate actions based on initial lessons learned to improve its fire safety prevention and response posture both for ships at sea and those in industrial environments. The Navy continuously evaluates and updates processes and procedures to mitigate fire and safety incidents and shares best practices as a means of continuous learning and improvement.

USS Bonhomme Richard is homeported at Naval Base San Diego, California. It will officially be decommissioned on April 15, 2021.

Following the removal of equipment and dismantlement of systems and components for other ships, USS Bonhomme Richard will be towed to Galveston, Texas for dismantlement.
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For more news from Naval Surface Forces, visit DVIDS - Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

For more about ESG 3, visit DVIDS - Expeditionary Strike Group Three and Expeditionary Strike Group (COMEXSTRKGRU) 3

• Date Taken: 04.07.2021
• Date Posted: 04.07.2021 17:34
• Story ID: 393281
• Location: SAN DIEGO, US