Bon Homme Richard (CVA 31) - Naval Cruise Book

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Force 38, Okinawa Meliorate ' June 13 iod Was Ae ship the Task

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The time was June 1945; the place, Ulithi in the Caroline Islands; tiie mission, destroy the enemy. BON HOMME RICHARD made her rendezvotis with Task Force 38, just as TF38 was completing operations in support of the Okinawa campaign, and in the three remaining days BON HOMME RICHARD flew carrier air patrols and launched day and night strikes against Okino Daito Jima. With the Task Force the ship proceeded to the new fleet anchorage at Leyte Gulf, Philippine Islands, where she remained from June 13 through June 30. This replenishment and rehabilitation period was interrupted by a four-day training cruise during which time the ship conducted independent night flight operations, rejoining the Task Force in the daylight liours.

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Day after day and night after night BON HOMME RICHARD ' S embarked air wing launched and recovered aircraft aimed at the Japanese home islands. This was no easy task. There was no room for error. If an aircraft came in too high or too low there was no angled deck to bolter from; it meant crashing into the barricade or the aircraft that had already been recovered. As a member o( the Third Fleet, Bonnie Dick and her planes struck enemy installations on Hokkaido, Kyushu, Honshu and Shikiku. One of tiie interesting elements of this attack was the use of the carrier as an element of surface bombardment. During this period of oper.it ions she sustained no damage from the enemy. The ship ' s guns opened .fire on enemy aircraft u lien a Japanese Grace attacked and was downed by ihc siiip ' s aircrafl. This accounted for a total ..I ten eiicniy aircralt wiiicii included tu,. pn.b- al)les.