Poor Man Richard Almanac

There is smoke billowing from the nearest navy docking station. Just hang your head outside and there it is filling the sky. The ship yard is just past the port area for some reason, away from the navy yard. It makes the marine travel more difficult and with a bridge built to high to accommodate the larger vessels but still comes up short for too many of the larger ships.

Fire on board a vessel is never an easy thing to see and the ship in question actually in dock. It shows on the news, four tiny fire boats blasting water at the vessel and more in the yard attempting to put out this fire. 57 people are being treated for injuries including smoke inhalation. 

It is sad that it is the Bon Homme Richard, which is the third vessel to carry the name which is on fire. One of the first amphibious assaults' ships to be built just before the 21 first century. It seems this was one of the better and higher quality ships and designed to do battle. It should not have sustained an explosion according to theorist who introduced the class in 1997. 

It is interesting that the first ship to hold this name and title was in 1769. It was borrowed by the colonist from France. It was never returned. In 1779 in caught fire and burned until it sank off the coast. The French don't seem to have asked any questions but maybe that is why there is an occasional high eyebrow in their negotiations. 

The Ambassador to France from the American colonies as they began their battle for Independence was Benjamin Franklin. He is famous for many things including standing in the rain with a key suspended on a kite. He also created the US Postal system which badly needs his recommendations to make it better when one can no longer post a letter without someone else first inspecting it.

The ship was renamed after his particular source of income. He printed "the poor mans Richards Almanac". Hence Bonhomme Richard instead of Franklin or Benji as a name for a USS vessel.

The journal predicted weather patterns and crop plantings according to the information at the time. 

Many of the young Americans were busy doing multiple things and did not always now when to plant and when to go fishing or hunting. This was not an uncommon type of journal at the time period. The weather man does not always get it correct on the prediction of rain and sunshine either.

What is more fruitless, predicting the weather and planting season or when to go to war and when to end a battle?

The second ship to carry the name was commissioned in 1944, and took fire on the Pacific operations after France was freed from the Nazi Occupation. 

Fire on board is not a good sign nor is the fact this is the third vessel to take fire with the same name. It is too bad for Benjamin Franklin and his Richards Almanac.