Bon Homme Richard (CVA 31) - Naval Cruise Book

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As the war was coming to an end, the men of BON HOMME RICHARD had to remain ready. For all intents and purposes the war was over, yet Task Force 38 had to maintain a constant vigil against any Japanese treachery. Admiral Halsey ordered BON HOMME RICHARD to Area McCain, 100 to 200 miles southeast of Tokyo, where she maintained her normal wartime air patrols. For over an hour on the 16th and 17th of .Vugust the ships of TF38 maneuvered in abnormally tight formations for aerial photographs to be taken of sprawling Fast Carrier Task Force. On the twenty-second and twenty-third the planes massed overhead for photos. On the nineteenth Admiral Ballentine, Commander Task Force 38, hauled down his flag and reported to Guam as Nimitz ' s liaison officer to General MacArthur for the Japanese surrender, officially set for 2 September in Tokyo Bay.

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CARRIER This is Mam Street, flat- top style. No neon signs, no fancy service. Strictly dungaree, modern, efficient and U.S.N. A wan d e r i n g Acme cameraman caught some of the men on CV3} ' s mam street at work, and th e sh i p ' s own photo lab caught others. As a small town floating around in the far Pacific. USS BON HOHUE RICHARD has just abaut everything but a duly elected mayor. Parts of main street are shown here: 1 ) It ' s n ct above the First National ank , looking out on a busy corner, but CVJl ' s dental office still does a steady business in air conditioned comfort, as Lt. J.N. Demarest and his assistant J.H. S t inson , PhM2c demon s t ra t e . ( 2 ) In between printing records, s t a t i on • ery, supplies and forms, R.H. Schrichten Prtr.2c, A.G. Bird, Prtr.M2c, W.A. Franz, Prtr.lc. C.». Loken. Pr ' tr.MJc. and K.E. Hopewell, Prtr.KJc, manage once in a while to find time to print the Almanac. Th ey work in a thoroughly modern print shop with offset p r es se s . ( Lok en claims to be the champion cribbage player of the Middle West United States and the Asiatic Fleet.) (3) The ship ' s orchestra tunes up. A band, concert group, and dance orchestra give frequent concerts to while away the days. (4) This small town daily, the Morning Alert, hds gone 100 issues without a miss, through some busy battle days off the coast of Japan. Bob(Bon Homme Willie) Hall, Sic, John Troan, Sp(x)3c. Naval CO rr esponden t , Hugo Frear, Y3c , Managing Editor, and John Deaver, Sic, Snorts ex- pert, are shown with Old Hateful . their untrustworthy mimeograph. (5) If you have anything worse than plain ordinary seasickness, sick bay will cu r e you--at 0800 and 1700. sharp. Its highly trained medical officers and pha rm i c i s t mates man an efficient hospital, surgical unit, and laboratory units. U o r e details on them next issue, but pictured is an operation with Dr. M.T. Hurley as surg- eon, assisted by R.A. Callahan, PhM3c.. andE.F. Pannell. PhM3e. (6) Hvdd barber Cecil D. Adee. SS(B)3c. clips John L. Joseph. ACMU. There ' s no time for idle barber shop chatter in this busy 6-chair shop. You get the regulation [I SN trim- - once over lightly, and zing ' You ' re bald behind for ano fh e r two weeks. (7) Men who fight still go to church. Chap I a m J . F . Wo loch administers the sac - rament fo Navy fliers in this scene. Ser- vices for all faiths are well attended, and e ich evening, before the radio nens- cist, men pause for evening prayers.