U.S. Navy ship provides Seafair classroom

ABOARD THE USS BONHOMME RICHARD – As assignments go, Capt. Jeff Scott Jones agreed that leading a fleet of ships into Puget Sound for Seattle’s annual Seafair summer festival wasn’t a bad way to assume command of a ship.

“This is a great way to enter the city,” said Jones, who was sworn in Thursday as captain of the USS Bonhomme Richard, just in time for the weekend event.

The San Diego-based Bonhomme Richard made a four-hour journey from Everett Naval Base south to Piers 90 and 91 in Seattle.

As part of the trip, the ship was opened up to hundreds of people – sports figures, political representatives and business leaders – all onboard to learn about the ship and meet some of its crew members.

“It’s your tax dollars at work,” Jones said shortly after the 844-foot ship sailed into the port – a process delayed only slightly by low tide.

The Bonhomme Richard is an amphibious assault ship that carries CH-46 “Sea Knight” helicopters, Marine AV-8B Harrier jets and air cushion landing craft. It has been deployed during U.S. military operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Its hangar normally houses various aircraft and machinery but on Thursday it hosted a banquet lunch.

Some of the ship’s more than 1,000 crew members took time away from their work to chat with and answer questions from the day’s “designated visitors.”

“I’ve always been attracted to sea services,” said Josh Parker, 76, of Bellevue, Wash., who served in the U.S. Coast Guard in the early 1950s. “This is a special treat to come aboard.”

Bob Tate, a retired Navy captain, also of Bellevue, said he’s been bringing groups on tours of Navy ships for about 15 years.

He always finds that people are overwhelmed by what they see and the “sharp, well-trained, well-mannered” people they meet, he said.

“So often all they know about is how the media portrays them. This tunes them in to what the military is really like,” Tate said.

His group of visitors included Tom O’Keefe, chairman of Tully’s Coffee, and Mariners broadcaster David Henderson.

Former Seattle SuperSonic Jack Sikma said he was using the opportunity to show his appreciation for the military, and find out more about it.

“It’s hard to put in perspective what you see in the news. This gives you a better feel about what’s going on,” said Sikma, who was with his 18-year-old son, Jacob.

With the U.S. military still in Iraq, Capt. Jones said he hopes this weekend’s events will give even the harshest critics a better understanding of sailors and their jobs.

“We get sent to do the missions. We do what the nation tells us to do,” he said. “Is Iraq or Afghanistan the right or wrong thing to do? It’s really not up to me to decide.”

The Bonhomme Richard is the flagship of this year’s Seafair fleet, which includes five other ships visiting from San Diego, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter from Astoria, Ore., and a Canadian Coast Guard vessel.

The fleet will be available for tours through Sunday, with various events planned throughout the weekend, including a reception Saturday honoring about 20 Pearl Harbor survivors attending with their spouses.