Bon Homme Richard (CVA 31) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 6 text:

from the BON HOMME RICHARD. It .was then that John Paul Jones uttered the immortal words, I have not yet begun to fight? The BON HOMME RICHARD and her fighting crew were victorious, yet she was so extensively damaged during the battle that on the follow- ing day she was ordered scuttled by her captain. The present BON HOMME RICHARD was built during World War II and commissioned in the Brooklyn Navy Yard on November 26, 1944. After seeing action in both World War II and the Korean War, she was placed in reserve fleet until September of 1955, at which time she was extensively modified and received her angled flight deck. She then joined the fleet as one-of the most modern carriers in the world. The BON HOMME RICH- ARD is a 22-year-old veteran of three Vietnam cruises. ln support of the Vietnam conflict she and her air wing have distinguished them- selves in combat. C THE BON HOMME RICH- ARD is more than an implement of war. She represents that same hope for peace, through readiness and the conviction to fighti until the battle is won, that her namesake so gallantly displayed in the past. Then as now, she is Americais way of letting our friends and enemies know that the United States stands firm in her commitments on all sides of the globe. She continues to serve the principle of keeping the sea lanes of the world open to unrestricted trade. -g. n , -4 4, 1 ,., ff. ' vw, I I V . nm, V

Page 5 text:

I 1 x K, I HISTORY To date, two ships have carried the name BON HOMME RICHARD. The first was a former French merchant vessel, the DUC DE DURAS, procured for the 18th century American Navy by Benjamin Franklin. The French converted her into a warship and chris- tened her BON HOMME RICHARD in honor of Franklin. Under the command of Captain John Paul Jones, the ship sailed from L,Orient, France in June l779 to harass the British merchant fleet whenever encountered. BON HOMME RICH- ARD intercepted the British frigate SERAPIS on September 23, 1779. At the height of battle, when SERAPIS was wielding her most punishing blows, her capatin demanded surrender

Page 7 text:

Rear dmiral 3 Thomas J. Walker ComCarDiv Three Thomas Jackson Walker was born in Edgartown, Massachusetts on August 6, 1916. He attended Seabreeze High School at Daytona Beach, Florida, and the Marion fAlabamaJ Military Instutute prior to entering the U.S. Naval Academy in 1935. He was graduated and commissioned Ensign on June 1, 1939, and was selected for the rankof Rear Admiral in July, 1965. Following graduation from the Naval Academy he was ordered to USS MINNEAPOLIS. In August, 1941, he was detached for flight training at the Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida. Designated a Naval Aviator on March 21, 1942, he joined USS NEW YORK. In July 1943, he attended the Post Graduate School, Annapolis, where he completed the course in Ordnance Engineering CAviationl in December 1944. He was assigned to the Bureau of Aeronautics, Navy Department, Washington, D.C., remaining there until July, 1945. Then came duty as prospective bomb commander for the fourth atomic bomb at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in New Mexico. That bomb was not dropped because of the cessation of hostilities in August, 1945. In February 1946, he began fighter refreshergtraining at the Naval Air Station, Miami, Florida, and from June 1946, to July, 1948, he was in command of Fighter Squadron SIXTY-ONE, SEVENTEEN and FIVE - B. After serving as Commanding Officer of the Naval Air Special Weapons Facility at Sandia Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico, he assumed command of Air Development Squadron FIVE in July 1951. He reported as Assistant Experimental Officer at the Naval Ordnance Test Station, China Lake, California, in July 1953, and in June of the next year became Experimental Officer. From July 1955 to February 1956, he underwent instruction at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Washington, D.C., and was then assigned as Head of the Test Branch, Polaris Missile Program. In January 1957, he was assigned to the Office of the Chief' of Naval Operations, serving there for six months in the U-2 program before his detachment for command of the Fleet All-Weather Training Unit, Pacific. In July 1958, he reported as System Evaluation Officer for the Polaris program in Washington. In' April 1960, Rear Admiral Walker, then Captain Walker, assumed command of USS NITRO, and six months later was ordered de- tached for duty as prospective commanding officer of USS CONSTELLATION, which was then under construction at the New York Naval Shipyard. He actually assumed command when CONSTELLATION was placed in commission in October 1961. On November 19, 1962, he was ordered to duty in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations to serve as Assistant Director, Aviation Plans Division. In September 1964 he assumed the position of Naval Deputy, Joint Task Force Two. Rear Admiral Walker assumed command of Carrier Division THREE in February 1966. While aboard his flagship, ENTERPRISE, and as Commander Task Group SEVENTY-SEVEN POINT SEVEN, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for combat operations in sup- port of the Republic of Vietnam. In addition to the Bronze Star and the Navy Commendation Medal with two gold stars and Combat V, Rear Admiral Walker is en-s titled to wear the Navy Unit Commendation, the American Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African- Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one operational star, the World War II Victory Medal, the National Defense Service Medal with bronze star and the Vietnam Service Medal. N--W M- --------- 1 -.-m.-- - W -.-. 1 -.-...-..........--sf --1:.ym,.1,v-,f-,..vm1... ..,. ,,-....,...q...,..,.,.,,,,.,,,,,., - -V-V - -Y V--YW ----im- A v -,.. f . . 1. . .. ,...-- .......,......., . ...,,,. . , t . H m,,W,,,,,,,M , ,,,.,, YVYY Y .,, ...... www-qi A, W,