1970s

Heavy Seas

Encountering heavy seas on the USS Bon Homme Richard

John M Poltrack

John M Poltrack

— 2 min read

I've seen all types of weather during my 1970 deployment aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard.

USS Bon Homme Richard wet flight deck
Wet flight deck on the USS Bon Homme Richard aircraft carrier. Yankee Station 1970.
Wet flight deck on the USS Bon Homme Richard aircraft carrier. Yankee Station 1970.
Wet flight deck on the USS Bon Homme Richard aircraft carrier. Yankee Station 1970.

In late September of 1970 we received word that we were diverting our course to avoid running directly into a monsoon. We secured the planes with extra chains, closed hatches and checked for loose gear.

A few of my shipmates got a bit seasick, but we fared better than the destroyers,  We had to slow down because they were rolling so badly.  One night I found myself floating a bit over the bunk when we hit a large wave.

Heavy seas aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard
Heavy seas aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard
Heavy Seas
Heavy Seas aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard

I made a recording of some of shipboard announcements as we skirted the storm, along with some chatter with my shipmates.

I found a safe location to photograph the flight deck. The waves were high enough to splash over the bow of the ship, a distance of over 90 feet.

Monsoon
Heavy seas as we outrun a monsoon.

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