United States Navy — Aircraft carrier

USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) — service history

This is the full service history. For the vessel's particulars, photograph and specifications, see the entry.

In the words of the US Navy. The account below is reproduced verbatim from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, compiled by the Naval History and Heritage Command — a work of the United States Government, in the public domain, and the only text on this site not written here.

Contents

Before commissioning
Second World War 1939–1945
1943 1
1945 Operation Magic Carpet 1
Korean War period 1950–1953
1951 1
1953 1
Vietnam War period 1964–1975
1971 2
References 22

Periods, years and the actions beside them are read out of the text — the source is one continuous narrative with no divisions of its own. A period is the calendar, not a claim: a vessel with a 1951 section was not necessarily off Korea.

Before commissioning

USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31). Slides down the building ways, as she is launched at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York, on 29 April 1944. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives, 80-G-K-3888(Color). National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-K-3888 (color) — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) is considered the second ship of the name despite the difference in spelling, an error which may have crept in as early as the 1860s when the name was assigned to a steam frigate that was never built and which later was compounded, no doubt, by the haste with which an enormous number of ships were named during World War II .

Second World War 1939–1945

1943

The second Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) was laid down on 1 February 1943, at the New York Navy Yard; launched 29 April 1944; sponsored by Mrs. John S. McCain, wife of Vice Adm. McCain; and commissioned on 26 November 1944, Captain A.O. Rule Jr., in command.

1945 Operation Magic Carpet

Bon Homme Richard departed Norfolk 19 March 1945 to join the Pacific Fleet and arrived at Pearl Harbor, T.H., on 5 April 1945. Following additional training in Hawaiian waters, the carrier joined Task Force (TF) 38 off Okinawa 6 June 1945. During 7–10 June, she joined in the attacks on Okino Daito Jima and then served with the Third Fleet during the air strikes against Japan (2 July–15 August). She remained off Japan until 16 September and after a short training period off Guam, proceeded to San Francisco, Calif., arriving on 20 October. She left San Francisco on 29 October and steamed to Pearl Harbor to undergo conversion for troop transport duty. From 8 November 1945 to 16 January 1946, she made trans-Pacific voyages, returning service members to the United States during Operation Magic Carpet , before being decommissioned on 9 January 1947.

Korean War period 1950–1953

1951

Bon Homme Richard was recommissioned on 15 January 1951 and on 10 May departed San Diego for the western Pacific. She joined TF 77 off Korea on 29 May and launched her first air strikes two days later on the 31st. Bon Homme Richard continued operations with TF 77 until 20 November 1951. The carrier reached San Diego in mid-December and on 20 May 1952 was off again to the western Pacific. She joined TF 77 once more on 23 June and took part in the heavy strikes against a North Korean power complex (24–25 June). She was reclassified to an attack aircraft carrier (CVA-31) on 1 October 1952. Just over a week later, she participated in an amphibious feint at Kojo (12–16 October). She continued operations against North Korean targets until 18 December 1952 and then steamed to San Francisco, where she arrived on 8 January 1953.

1953

Bon Homme Richard went out of commission on 15 May 1953 preparatory to modernization. When recommissioned on 6 September 1955, she had an angled and strengthened flight deck, enclosed bow, enlarged elevators, and steam catapults. She completed her conversion period on 31 October 1955 and commenced sea trials in the Alameda-San Diego area. Bon Homme Richard then served with the Pacific Fleet and made several tours of the western Pacific.

Vietnam War period 1964–1975

1971

Bon Homme Richard was decommissioned on 2 July 1971, and on 20 September 1989, stricken from the Navy List. She was disposed of by scrapping on 4 February 1992.

Bon Homme Richard received one battle star for her World War II service and five battle stars for participation in the Korean conflict .

Other photographs

Held for this vessel, and not tied to any part of the account above.

References

Every work this entry draws on. There are no numbered markers in the text above: what we hold is the provenance of the page — this history, this article, these photographs.

History Bon Homme Richard II (CV-31) Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Naval History and Heritage Command. A work of the United States Government, in the public domain — the only text on this site reproduced verbatim.
Facts USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) Structured facts only — dates, dimensions, armament and fate. No wording is taken from it. Harvested 1 August 2026.
Photograph USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) underway at sea c1959 U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) 1958-1959 cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph 80-G-K-3888 (color) (16980406739) National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-K-3888 (color) — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph A-4E Skyhawk of VA-94 over USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) in the Gulf of Tonkin in August 1969 U.S. Navy — Official U.S. Navy photo USN 1142718 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph AD-4W approaching USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) off Korea 1951 U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.488.038.018 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph Aerial view of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard with Dry Dock No. 4 in the approximate center of photo (1953). Photographer unknown. - Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, Drydock HAER CAL,38-SANFRA,195A-6 Related names: Frear, Hugo Pacific Bridge Company Maul, David, transmitter — https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ca2272.photos.182964p — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph Aerial view of USS Hancock (CVA-19), USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) and USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) in 1966 U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy photo [1] from usscoralsea.net — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph Aft view of flight deck of USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) 1957 USN — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) 1957 cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph Aircraft carriers at Seattle in January 1947 USN — U.S. Navy photo 80-G-373247 from the USS Essex (CVS-9) 1967 cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph Bow view of USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) at sea, circa in 1956 U.S. Navy sailor or employee — USS Bon Homme Richard website [1] — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph Essex carriers mothballed1 Bremerton 1989 Cobatfor — Own work — CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph Essex carriers mothballed2 Bremerton 1989 Cobatfor — Own work — CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph F-8Hs VF-51 over USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) 1968 U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.488.038.061 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph F3H-2 Demon of VF-193 lands on USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) c1959 U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) 1958-1959 cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph F4U approaches USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) off Korea 1951 U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.488.038.017 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph F9F VF-71 over TF77 1952 USN — U.S. www.defenseimagery.mil photo no. HN-SN-98-07207; NARA file no. 80-G-480645 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph Fantail views of USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) in dry dock, in 1958 USN — U.S. Navy Naval Aviation News October 1958 [1] — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph Five Essex class carriers at Long Beach 1966 USN — Official U.S. Navy photograph CVS-20-160-8-66 available at uss-bennington.org — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph Insignia of USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) c1965 U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) 1965-1966 cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph Laid-up Forrest Sherman-class destroyers at Puget Sound in 1990 Lt. Fallon, USN — U.S. DefenseImagery photo VIRIN: DN-SC-90-03982 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
Photograph Launch of USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) at New York Navy Yard USN — Naval Historical Center photo 80-G-K-3888 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons