U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) departed her homeport of Sasebo, Japan, on January 30.
During a 3-month maintenance availability that was recently completed, the crew of Bonhomme Richard preserved and refurbished the ship and had the opportunity to take leave in the states and around Japan.
Several ship systems were maintained or upgraded and new equipment was installed during the availability.
“We had our routine boiler inspection, installed a new scullery, added new driers to laundry and upgraded the stern gate linkspans for our amphibious operations,” said Ens. Josh Aranda , Bonhomme Richard’s maintenance manager. “We also flushed the port aircraft elevator’s primary lubrication system. The crew accomplished a lot in a small amount of time.”
During the underway, Bonhomme Richard will conduct training and certifications focused on evaluating and certifying several departments and systems for unit-level operations, including deck, navigation, engineering and air.
Bonhomme Richard is the flagship of the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group.