USS Bonhomme Richard formally decommissioned
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The USS Bonhomme Richard was formally decommissioned Wednesday. Photo courtesy U.S. Navy
April 15 (UPI) The fire-damaged USS Bonhomme Richard was formally decommissioned in a ceremony at Naval Base San Diego on Wednesday.
Wednesday s ceremony highlighted the history of the ship, the Navy said in a press release.
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It was the third to bear the name Bonhomme Richard, which is a rough French translation of Good man Richard, and is derived from Benjamin Franklin s pen name.
The ship s history includes deployments to East Timor in 2000 for peacekeeping and humanitarian operations as well as offloading Marines and their equipment into Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to the Navy.
The ceremony highlighted the history of the ship, its crew, and their legacy. Bonhomme Richard was the third ship to bear the name. It was named in honor of John Paul Jones famous frigate, named the French equivalent for Good man Richard. This was in honor of Benjamin Franklin, the U.S. Ambassador to France at the time. The name Bonhomme Richard is derived from Franklin s pen name. [The original Bonhomme Richard] Sailors gave their all to prevail against seemingly impossible odds, and they won, said Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 3. They taught us that you don t always save the ship, but you never stop fighting. The reputation of that fighting spirit began to proceed our Navy wherever we sailed and that same spirit persists today.