March 1998, Bonhomme Richard's tanks 7 and 8 ruptured when Ingalls floating drydock broke loose in 42-knot winds. Damage was $200,000.

During the millennium WestPac, the BHR ARG consisted of USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), USS Denver (LPD 9), USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, was involved in many vital operations and exercises. The first mission was to support peacekeeping and humanitarian operations of the international forces in East Timor. While in the Arabian Gulf, the ARG joined other forces of the Fifth Fleet supporting Operation Southern Watch. The ARG and the 15th MEU also participated in multinational exercises Eager Mace in Kuwait, Eastern Maverick in Qatar, and Sea Soldier in Oman.

In October 2001 the 13th MEU embarked its combat power aboard the amphibious ships of the USS Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group to solidify the Navy-Marine Corps team and its title as the nation's force in readiness. The MEU and Amphibious Squadron Three's (PHIBRON 3) first at-sea period, Compatibility Training Underway Exercise, was conducted Oct. 2-17, off the southern California coast. COMPTUEX was the first time Marines and Sailors of the USS Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group planned and executed ship-to-shore missions. The MEU/ARG team exercised its ability to conduct special missions from ships off the coast of Southern California to land-based objectives on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., and San Clemente Island. San Francisco Fleet Week was cancelled after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., so the 13th MEU stacked its schedule with three more special missions, totaling 15 in a 16-day at-sea period.

March 2002, USS Bonhomme Richard is conducting missions in support of Operation Anaconda off the Pakistan coast in North Arabian Sea. BR is on scheduled six-month deployment, that started in December, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

June 18, The BHR ARG returned to Naval Station San Diego.

August 2002, LHD 6 is currently conducting deck-landing qualification in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California.

January 17, 2003 USS Bonhomme Richard deployed with Amphibious Task Force - West (ATF-W), in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Global War on Terrorism.

July 26, The amphibious assault ship returned to Naval Station San Diego after supporting U.S. and coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom. USS Bonhomme Richard played two significant roles in Operation Iraqi Freedom. First, it offloaded more than 1,000 Marines and gear from the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines into Kuwait. Then, it took up position just miles off the coast of Kuwait and became one of two Harrier Carriers in the Arabian Gulf launching AV-8B Harrier strike aircraft into Iraq. Pilots from Marine Attack Squadrons 211 and 311, embarked aboard BHR, expended more than 175,000 pounds of ordnance, providing close air support to the Marines on the ground and during predetermined strikes in Iraq. During OIF LHD 6 launched more than 800 sorties, including 547 combat launches.

October 23, 2004 Expeditionary Strike Group Five completed a Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) off the coast of southern California in October. During the 16-day exercise, diverse elements of the strike group came together to rehearse every imaginable situation they could encounter during real-world operations in support of the global war on terrorism. ESG-5 is the first Expeditionary Strike Group to operate with a Coast Guard cutter, USCGC (WHEC 724) Munro, bringing together all elements of our nation’s sea services - Navy, Marine and Coast Guard - into a single fighting unit.

November 5, USS Bonhomme Richard ESG 5, led by Rear Adm. Christopher C. Ames, is participating in a Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) off the coast of southern California, which runs through Nov. 15. Upon successful completion of the exercise, U.S. 3rd Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Michael McCabe will certify ESG 5 "ready for deployment." The strike group is scheduled to deploy in the coming months. Participating in JTFEX are USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), USS Duluth (LPD 6), USS Milius (DDG 69), USCGC Munro (WHEC 724), USS Pasadena (SSN 752), USS Helena (SSN 725) and USS Thach (FFG 43). The strike group is training with the Canadian destroyer HMCS Algonquin (DDG 283), two Canadian frigates, HMCS Winnipeg (FFG 338) and HMCS Regina (FFH 334), and the Canadian replenishment ship HMCS Protecteur (AOR 509). The Canadian ships are supported by two detachments of CH-124 Sea King helicopters, Canadian CF-18s and a Canadian CP-140, a multimission reconnaissance and anti-submarine aircraft.

December 6, LHD 6 departed San Diego on a routine western Pacific deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism and other missions as assigned by naval leadership.

December 13, USS Bonhomme Richard pulled to Naval Station Pearl Harbor for four day port visit.

January 4, 2005 The multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard cut short its port visit to Guam Dec. 28 and set sail for South Asia to provide humanitarian assistance to the disaster stricken region. Bonhomme Richard will join several other Navy ships in the area or en route after an earthquake followed by a massive tsunami paralyzed the region Dec. 26. In preparation for the upcoming mission, Bonhomme Richard’s crew loaded more than 300 palettes of supplies during the ship’s eight-hour port stop in Guam. The ship also conducted flight operations in port to deliver supplies to USS Duluth, anchored in the harbor. Helicopters attached to BHR airlifted more than 200,000 pounds of disaster relief supplies Jan. 4 from two warehouses on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

January 23, Bonhomme Richard concluded operations in the area, turned over with USS Essex (LHD 2) and steamed toward the U.S. Central Command area of operations Jan. 18. During their nine days of humanitarian assistance operations in support of Operation Unified Assistance, LHD 6 and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit delivered more than a million pounds of humanitarian aid to tsunami survivors on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The ship arrived on station Jan. 26 in the Persian Gulf.

February 2, Lt. Cmdr. Edward E. Jack, 51, of Detroit, Mich., died Jan. 29, of a non-combat related incident aboard BHR. Jack was assigned to Commander, Destroyer Squadron 7, homeported in San Diego.

February 23, USS Bonhomme Richard and the 15th MEU conducted amphibious landings in the Persian Gulf region Feb. 14-16. Helicopters, Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) and Landing Craft Utilities (LCU) took part in the three-day off-load of Marines and their equipment for training exercises in Kuwait.

March 28, LHD 6 made a five-day port visit to Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, March 7-12.

April 25, The amphibious asault ship departed Persian Gulf April 19 after bringing the 15th MEU back aboard from combat operations in Iraq. The amphibious assault ship was on station in the Gulf for almost three months, serving as a sea base for the 15th MEU and command ship for Commander, Task Force (CTF) 58, protecting vital Iraqi oil terminals and conducting maritime security operations (MSO).

May 2, The "Gunbearers" of Helicopter Combat Support Squadron (HC) 11, Det. 4, embarked aboard USS Bonhomme Richard, were re-designated as the "Blackjacks" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21, Det. 4 April 1. Since the "Blackjacks" deployed with the "Revolutionary Gator," they have been flying the MH-60S and soon will be phasing in the MH-60R. The new birds have newly designed systems that will enhance search and rescue and counter-mine identification missions. With the added components, the helicopters will be more versatile for a number of different missions.

May 24, The BHR visited Brisbane, Australia, May 10-15. LHD 6 ESG-5 pulled to Naval Station Pearl Harbor May 26, for a brief port visit on its return leg of a six-month deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

June 6, USS Bonhomme Richard returned to its homeport of San Diego and concluded its 182-day deployment in support of the global war on terrorism.

July 20, The amphibious assault ship is off the coast of southern California transfering ammunition to USS Peleliu.

August 3, BHR arrived in Seattle, Wash., in a Parade of Ships to participate in the 55th Annual Seattle Seafair Festival. More than 1000 guests were invited aboard USS Bonhomme Richard, USS Ogden, USS Crommelin and USCGC Active (WMEH 618) to experience the Navy and Coast Guard firsthand as the ships pulled into Seattle.

October 1, LHD 6 entered a floating drydock at General Dynamic's National Steel and Shipbuilding Company for an extended maintenance period, scheduled to last through the beginning of next year.

January 5, 2006 BHR completed its three-month dry dock period. Work will continue for several more weeks while the ship is pierside at the 32nd Street Naval Station. At the completion of the maintenance period, her crew will conduct sea trials and begin training for their next deployment.

March 13, During the Bonhomme Richard’s $30 million Docked Planned Maintenance Availability that ended Feb. 22, the warship upgraded its Collective Protection System (CPS) and added four more chemical, biological and radioactive protected zones. CPS zones provide protection against a chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) attack by way of filtration and pressure, controlling access to a certain spaces and creating safe havens. The newly protected areas include high priority spaces, such as medical, command and control spaces and living spaces. In the case of a CBR attack, personnel inside the safe havens can carry on their normal duties without wearing individual protective equipment, while areas outside the safe havens may be exposed to contamination.

March 23, AV-8B Harriers, from the VMA-311 "Tomcats", returned to LHD 6 for the first time in nearly nine months during local operations off the coast of southern California. USS Bonhomme Richard is currently training and preparing for operations in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

April 13, The Bonhoome richard, commanded by Capt. Steve Greene, and helicopters, assigned to the "Blackjacks" of the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Two One (HSC-21), conducted an ammunition transfer April 11-13, with the USS Tarawa in preparation for the upcoming deployment later this year. More than 2 million pounds of ammo were recieved from LHA 1 and Naval Weapons Station Fallbrook, Calif.

May 5, USS Bonhomme Richard was certified for well deck operations April 26, following two days of ship-to-shore maneuvers off the coast of southern California. Sailors aboard the amphibious assault ship completed another certification May 2 after successfully demonstrating the ability to combat a chemical, biological or radiological (CBR) attack during operations off the coast of southern California.

June 12, LHD 6 is currently in port making preparation for Trident Warrior 2006 (TW-06). TW-06 is the primary Forcenet Sea Trial exercise, co-sponsored by Naval Network Warfare Command and Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. It exploits advanced technology concepts to provide the war fighter with information superiority over an adversary to give superior decision-making and execution capability for success in the battle space.

June 16, The amphibious assault ship departed San Diego to take part in Trident Warrior 2006 and Rim of the Pacific 2006. Led by Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, RIMPAC is the 20th in a series of significant international military exercises scheduled biennially. This year, units from Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States are slated to take part, and the Japan Maritime Self Defense Forces will participate as part of a bilateral force with U.S. units. RIMPAC '06 will be conducted in the Hawaiian operating areas.

June 24, USS Bonhomme Richard pulled to Pearl Harbor for a scheduled port visit before the start of RIMPAC 2006.

July 5, LHD 6 departed Pearl Harbor to participate in exercise Rim of the Pacific.

July 31, The BHR departed Naval Station Pearl Harbor after a scheduled port visit.

August 7, The amphibious assault ship returned to homeport after a nearly two-month underway period. Following a five-day return visit to Pearl Harbor, where RIMPAC officially concluded July 28, USS Bonhomme Richard offloaded the majority of the Marines and their equipment and embarked 139 Tigers for the trip back to San Diego. In addition, the BHR onloaded nearly 70 vehicles, as well as a sailboat as part of the Navy’s Opportune Lift Program.

September 6, USS Bonhomme Richard served as a test platform for the UH-1Y "Super Huey" and AH-1Z "Super Cobra" helicopters while conducting operations in the Pacific Ocean Aug. 31 through Sept. 2. The UH-1Y is scheduled for operation late in fiscal year 2008, while the AH-1Z will become operational in 2011. The UH-1Y will replace the UH-1N, the 34-year-old workhorse of the U.S. military.

September 12, After four days of operational testing on the Nanoose Bay range, LHD 6 Sailors took part in a three-day port visit to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada from Sept. 9-11.

September 16, U.S. Navy Sailors and American and British contractors tested a new torpedo countermeasures system aboard USS Bonhomme Richard Sept. 4-15, while underway off the Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental Test Range in Nanoose Bay.

September 20, The amphibious assault ship returned to San Diego after completing a three-week underway period.

December 3, LHD 6 headed back to homeport Nov. 30 after successfully completing in only three days an underway workload originally scheduled for five. During the last underway of 2006, BHR’s crew conducted a pre-action aim calibration (PAC) and towed drone unit (TDU) firing with its Close-in Weapon System (CIWS); an underway replenishment; air operations; and ammo on-load/off-load operations.

January 22, 2007 USS Bonhomme Richard is currently operating off the coast of southern California, conducting Expeditionary Strike Group Integrated Training (ESGINT) Exercice, in preparation for the upcoming deployment.

January 29, Four Sailors died when their Navy MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter, from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23, crashed into the Pacific Ocean Jan. 26 while conducting a routine training mission off BHR near San Clemente Island.

February 12, USS Bonhomme Richard brought one of her pre-deployment certifications to a successful close and ended three days of assessment by the Afloat Training Group (ATG) Pacific as she pulled into homeport Feb. 8 after a one-night underway. Unit Level Training Assessment-Sustainment, or ULTRA-S, is an assessment of the ship's training proficiency level in warfare areas such as engineering, damage control, combat systems, medical and aviation.

February 17, BHR is currently off the coast of southern California participating in Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) in preparation for an upcoming deployment with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU).

March 14, USS Bonhomme Richard ESG departed homeport to take part in Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX).

March 24, LHD 6 Expeditionary Strike Group completed its third and final pre-deployment exercise.

April 10, USS Bonhomme Richard departed San Diego for a scheduled deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism and Maritime Security Operations (MSO).

April 28, The amphibious assault ship pulled to Apra Harbor, Guam, for a routine port visit.

May 12, The BHR ESG departed Singapore after a three-day port call.

May 23, The Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group, along with USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) and USS Nimitz (CVN 68) CSG-s, entered the Persian Gulf to conduct missions in direct support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and perform Expeditionary Strike Force (ESF) training.

May 31, LHD 6 ESG off-loaded the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Patriot, Kuwait, May 25-28.

June 7, USS Bonhomme Richard and USS Denver departed Manama, Bahrain, with humanitarian assistance supplies, equipment and additional personnel to provide assistance to mariners in the aftermath of Cyclone Gonu, which plowed through the North Arabian Sea this week. Additionally, coalition ships from Germany, Japan, Pakistan and United Kingdom are standing by.

June 14, Capt. Neil R. Parrott relieved Capt. Steve Greene as commanding officer of USS Bonhomme Richard in a ceremony held abord the ship in Manama, Bahrain.

September 28, The 13th MEU completed its return to the BHR ESG, after conducting combat operations in Iraq for nearly four months.

October 7, After nearly four months of operations in the Persian Gulf, the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group entered the 7th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AoR).

October 21, The amphibious assault ship departed Fremantle, Australia, after a five-day port visit.

November 9, LHD 6 pulled to Naval Station Pearl Harbor for a brief port call.

November 19, USS Bonhomme Richard returned to homeport after more than seven-month underway period in the western Pacific and Arabian Gulf.

January 18, 2008 The Bonhomme Richard returned to San Diego after conducting a post-deployment ammunition offload off the coast of southern California Jan. 14-17.

June 27, LHD 6 arrived in Pearl Harbor to participate in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2008 Exercise, scheduled to take place in the Hawaiian operating area from June 29 through July 31.

September 14, The BHR is currently off the coast of southern California conducting deck landing qualifications (DLQ) with VMA-211 and VMA-214. This is the first time that "Harriers" have returned to the flight deck of USS Bonhomme Richard, since last year deployment.

October 6, The amphibious assault ship is currently conducting deck landing qualifications off the West Coast.

October 12, USS Bonhomme Richard, along with USS Pinckney (DDG 91), arrived in San Francisco for the city's annual Fleet Week celebration.

November 3, LHD 6 departed Naval Base San Diego for deck landing qualifications off the coast of southern California.

January 13, 2009 Capt. John W. Funk relieved Capt. Neil R. Parrott as CO of the BHR during a change of command ceremony in San Diego.

March 9, The Bonhomme Richard took on more than 1,000 pallets of ordnance while underway March 2-5, in preparation for a western Pacific deployment later this year.

June 30, The BHR Amphibious Ready Group is currently conducting initial integration exercise, with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), off the coast of southern California.

July 20, The amphibious assault ship is underway off the West Coast for Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX).

August 10, USS Bonhomme Richard departed homeport for a certification exercise (CERTEX).

September 24, USS Bonhomme Richard departed San Diego for a scheduled deployment after a six-day delay because unspecified issues were found during an inspection of the ship's gas-turbine generators.

October 14, LHD 6 arrived in Savu Sea to conduct a multi-lateral exercise MAREX 2009 in cooperation with the government of Timor-Leste.

October 29, The Bonhomme Richard pulled to Phuket, Thailand, for a goodwill port call.

November 15, The BHR ARG recently entered the U.S. 5th Fleet AoR relieving the Bataan (LHD 5) ARG.

December 28, Capt. Timothy M. Wilson relieved Capt. Rodney A. Clark as Commander, Amphibious Squadron Seven, during a change-of-command ceremony aboard the Bonhomme Richard.

March 9, 2010 USS Bonhomme Richard arrived in Port Klang, Malaysia, for a scheduled port visit to Kuala Lumpur.

April 5, LHD 6 pulled into Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for a routine port visit and to pick up "Tigers."

April 14, USS Bonhomme Richard returned to Naval Base San Diego after a nearly seven-month deployment in the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet Areas of Responsibility.

May 25, The amphibious assault ship is currently off the West Coast participating in a Navy/Marine Corps training exercise Dawn Blitz 2010.

June 14, USS Bonhomme Richard ARG departed San Diego to take part in Trident Warrior 2010 and Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises.

June 24, The BHR pulled into Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for the first (in port) phase of RIMPAC 2010.

July 6, LHD 6 departed Pearl Harbor for the second (at sea) phase of bienial, multinational Exercise RIMPAC.

July 10, Capt. Jonathan L. Harnden relieved Capt. John W. Funk as commanding officer of the Bonhomme Richard.

August 2, The amphibious assault ship departed Hawaii after completing its participation in Rim of the Pacific 2010. BHR returned to San Diego Aug. 9.

August 12, Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 7 was disestablished, after 24 years of naval service, aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard.