Five ships of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

have borne the name ''Bonhomme Richard'' or ''Bon Homme Richard'' (), the French language equivalent of " Goodman Richard". The name is in reference to American

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

. Franklin was responsible for writing ''

Poor Richard's Almanack ''Poor Richard's Almanack'' (sometimes ''Almanac'') was a yearly almanac published by Benjamin Franklin, who adopted the pseudonym of "Poor Richard" or "Richard Saunders" for this purpose. The publication appeared continually from 1732 to 1758. ...

'', for which the ships have been named, after the French title of the publication. * , formerly ''Duc de Duras'', was a frigate built in France and placed at the disposal of

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...

in 1779. * A ''Bon Homme Richard'' was to have been a ''Wampanoag''-class cruiser built at the

Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is the former shipyard and Weapon, ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast, Washington, D.C., Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy. The Yard currently serv ...

. Construction was canceled in 1864. * , was an aircraft carrier renamed ''Yorktown'' in 1943 prior to launch. * , was an that saw action at the end of World War II, throughout the Korean War, and through the Vietnam War. * , was a that was severely damaged by fire in July 2020, and decommissioned in April 2021.

See also