USS Ranger file photo [31605]

Ranger

CountryUnited States
Ship ClassRanger-class Aircraft Carrier
Hull NumberCV-4
BuilderNewport News Shipbuilding
Laid Down26 Sep 1931
Launched25 Feb 1933
Commissioned4 Jun 1934
Decommissioned18 Oct 1946
Displacement14,576 tons standard; 17,577 tons full
Length769 feet
Beam110 feet
Draft22 feet
MachinerySix boilers, two steam turbines, two shafts
Power Output53,500 shaft horsepower
Speed29 knots
Range10,000nm at 15 knots
Crew2,461
Armament8x5in 25 cal guns, 40x .50 cal machine guns
Armor2in belt, 2in bulkheads, 1in deck over steering gear
Aircraft86
Elevators3

Contributor:

ww2dbaseIn the United States Navy, the name "Ranger" is as old as the Navy itself. As flagship for John Paul Jones in 1778, the sloop Ranger flying the stars and stripes received the new nation's first salute from a foreign fleet at Quiberon Bay, France. Throughout the history of the United States Navy, several ships have borne the name. The aircraft carrier Ranger of the 1930s and 1940s was special in that it was the first United States ship intended as an aircraft carrier from its earliest planning stages rather than being repurposed into a carrier from some other use. This USS Ranger was the United States Navy's fourth aircraft carrier.

ww2dbaseRanger was laid down at Newport News, Virginia on 26 Sep 1931 and launched 25 Feb 1933 with First Lady Mrs. Lou Hoover as sponsor. Because this was during America's Prohibition period, Mrs. Hoover cracked a bottle of sparkling grape juice against the ship's hull. USS Ranger was commissioned on 4 Jun 1934 at Norfolk, Virginia with Captain Arthur L. Bristol in command. Captain Bristol was a 1906 graduate of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis and was a decorated World War I veteran. Ranger logged her first aircraft landing on 21 Jun 1934 when Lieutenant Commander Arthur Davis landed a Vought O3U-2 Corsair biplane on her flight deck.

ww2dbaseRanger's shakedown cruise was to South America where she visited the ports of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay before returning to Norfolk. On 28 Mar 1935, Ranger sailed from Norfolk bound for the Pacific, transiting the Panama Canal on 7 Apr 1935. Within a month of her arrival in the Pacific, Ranger took part in Fleet Problem XVI that stretched the fleet from Hawaii to the Aleutians. Ranger remained in the Pacific for the next four years, including being part of Fleet Problem XVII in the Spring of 1936 in the eastern Pacific.

ww2dbaseOn 10 Jun 1936, Captain Patrick Bellinger relieved Captain Bristol as Ranger's commanding officer. Captain Bellinger was a 1907 graduate of the Naval Academy and was Naval Aviator #8. By 1943, Vice-Admiral Bellinger was Commander for Air, Atlantic Fleet.

ww2dbaseIn May 1937, Fleet Problem XVIII again brought Ranger into the central North Pacific. On 3 Jun 1937, Ranger had another change of command when Captain John S. McCain relieved Captain Bellinger after a year in command. Captain McCain was a 1906 academy classmate of Arthur Bristol, a veteran of the Great White Fleet world cruise in 1908-09, and he became a naval aviator at the age of 52, making him one of the oldest officers ever to achieve that qualification. Commanding the aircraft carrier Ranger for two years and immersing himself in carrier doctrine was good experience for McCain, since in 1944 he became the carrier task force commander under Admiral William Halsey.

ww2dbaseFleet Problem XIX in Apr and May 1938 was particularly significant in that it simulated a fleet air attack on installations in the Hawaii and tested the island defenses. The following year, in preparation for Fleet Problem XX in the Caribbean, Ranger transitioned to the Atlantic Fleet in Jan 1939. While operating out of Norfolk, Captain Ralph Wood relieved Captain McCain on 6 Jun 1940. Captain Wood, in fact, held the rank of Commander and was a Captain-designee at the time he assumed command of Ranger, but his full promotion came through a short time later. A 1911 graduate of the Naval Academy, he had also previously served on submarines.

ww2dbaseOn 1 Sep 1939, German forces invaded Poland and the European war moved from a simmer to a boil. Four days later, Franklin Roosevelt instituted the United States Neutrality Patrols in the Atlantic which involved the swift mobilization of all US Navy air and surface forces in the region. On 14 Sep 1939, Ranger joined with battleships USS New York and Texas to become a striking force staged at Hampton Roads, Virginia poised to support destroyers and Coast Guard cutters escorting merchant ships at sea. In the fifteen months of Neutrality Patrols, Ranger's tours ranged from Argentia in Newfoundland in the north to Bermuda and Trinidad in the south.

ww2dbaseDuring that period on 6 Jun 1940, Captain Alfred Montgomery relieved Captain Wood as Ranger's commanding officer. Captain Montgomery was a 1911 Academy graduate and another submarine officer. He also served as Ranger's Executive Officer under Captain Bellinger. In Dec 1940, Ranger's air group became among the first to receive Grumman's F4F Wildcat fighter. Then, on 13 Jun 1941, 1914 Academy graduate Captain William Harrill relieved Captain Montgomery after one year in command. On 7 Dec 1941, Ranger received news of the Pearl Harbor Attack on her last day of a patrol from Trinidad to Norfolk. Four days later, Germany declared war on the United States which, among other things, officially brought the Neutrality Patrols to a close.

ww2dbaseRanger made one more patrol to the South Atlantic, officially a wartime patrol this time, before entering the Norfolk Navy Yard for an overhaul. When she emerged, Ranger's size and age made her best suited for secondary roles since there were by this time four newer, larger carriers in the US fleet. Between Apr and Aug 1942, Ranger made three ferry runs to western Africa with deck loads of Army fighter aircraft. In the midst of those voyages on 30 May 1942, during a stop at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, Captain Calvin Durgin relieved Captain Harrill as Ranger's commanding officer. Captain Dugin was a 1916 Academy graduate and an accomplished naval officer. He had a Master's Degree in aeronautical engineering from M.I.T. and was considered an expert in naval air combat.

ww2dbaseRanger spent Aug and Sep 1942 qualifying carrier pilots, first at Quonset Point and then in Chesapeake Bay, before beginning preparations for her part in the invasion of North Africa set for Nov 1942. Once the invasion force gathered in Bermuda, Ranger and the fleet sailed for North Africa on 25 Oct 1942 as part of Operation Torch. For the landings on 8 Nov 1942, Ranger provided air support to the invasion beaches in French Morocco. On 10 Nov 1942, French submarine Le Tonnant fired four torpedoes at Ranger but all four missed. That same afternoon, Ranger aircraft attacked the French battleship Jean Bart in Casablanca harbor in an effort to silence her guns. Ranger left Africa on 13 Nov 1942 and began her return voyage to America.

ww2dbaseAfter a drydocking at Norfolk, Ranger returned to her aircraft ferrying role with three more crossings to North Africa. On 2 Mar 1943 on the return voyage from her third trip, one of Ranger's patrol planes located two drifting life boats. One of Ranger's escorts, destroyer USS Hobson, picked up 46 survivors from the British merchant ship St. Margaret, torpedoed by U-66 three days earlier. Two weeks later at Quonset Point, Captain Durgin was relieved as Ranger's commanding officer by Captain Gordon Rowe, a 1913 graduate of the Naval Academy and a former aviator on USS Langley.

ww2dbaseRanger spent the next five months ranging from Boston to Argentia qualifying pilots for carrier landings and escorting convoys. She then sailed for Great Britain and joined the British Home Fleet at Scapa Flow, Scotland on 19 Aug 1943. On 31 Aug 1943, Royal Navy Fleet Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser boarded Ranger and remained aboard for the day's exercises. Ranger and her US escorts sailed with the Home Fleet on patrol sorties into the Norwegian Sea including Operation Leader where Ranger's planes bombed German shipping at Bodø, Norway on 4 Oct 1943. Ranger briefly entered drydock at the Navy Yard at Rosyth, Scotland before returning to Boston in the United States by way of Hvalfjörður, Iceland.

ww2dbaseRanger finished 1943 in the Boston Navy Yard and began 1944 on carrier qualification duty out of Quonset Point. She returned to Boston briefly in Feb 1944 to replace a bent propeller. On 20 Apr 1944 Ranger arrived at Staten Island, New York and began loading Army fighter planes for transportation to Casablanca. While loading, Captain Arthur Gavin relieved Captain Rowe as commanding officer on 22 Apr 1944. Captain Gavin did not attend the Naval Academy but was an early Naval aviator and pioneered several innovations in naval endurance flights.

ww2dbaseOn 11 Jun 1944, Ranger completed a three-week overhaul at the Norfolk Navy Yard to install her first aircraft catapult and she also got a new "Dazzle" paint scheme. That same day, she sailed for the Panama Canal and the Pacific. In the Pacific, Ranger continued her ferrying roles, departing San Diego, California on 28 Jul 1944 on her first trip to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii since 1935. Once in Hawaii, Ranger assumed duty as a training carrier, predominately night fighter training. Ranger continued this assignment in Hawaiian waters as well as along the California coast for the rest of the war.

ww2dbaseDuring this period, on 15 Jan 1945 Captain Douglass Johnson relieved Captain Gavin as commanding officer at San Diego. Captain Johnson was a 1920 graduate of the Naval Academy and had been commanding officer of escort carrier USS Fanshaw Bay when that ship was flagship of "Taffy 3" during the Battle off Samar three months earlier.

ww2dbaseWhen World War II ended on 15 Sep 1945, Ranger was at San Diego, California. At the end of that month, Ranger departed for the Atlantic once again and arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana on 16 Oct 1945 in time for the big Navy Day victory celebration eleven days later. After stops at Pensacola, Norfolk, and Philadelphia, Ranger returned to Pensacola, Florida on 22 Jan 1946 to assume carrier qualification duty, relieving USS Guadalcanal. Averaging 200 aircraft landings per week, Ranger passed the milestone of 82,000 career "traps" a short time later.

ww2dbaseOn 1 May 1946, Captain George Dussault relieved Captain Johnson as Ranger's commanding officer. Captain Dussault was a 1923 graduate of the Naval Academy and had previously commanded the escort carrier USS Barnes. Ranger arrived at Norfolk for her deactivation overhaul and on 1 Oct 1946, she experienced her last change of command when Commander Ray Davis relieved Captain Dussault. Commander Davis' command only lasted 17 days without ever putting to sea as USS Ranger was decommissioned at Norfolk on 18 Oct 1946. Preparations began for Ranger's demolition and on 28 Jan 1947, the ship was sold for scrapping.

ww2dbaseAs the United States' fourth aircraft carrier, Ranger was an important ship in the development of America's aircraft carriers, even if her wartime record was not as celebrated as others. Ranger earned two battle stars during World War II (Operation Torch and the Norway Raids) as well as the "Atlantic" clasp on her American Defense Ribbon. The Atlantic clasp was a significant achievement since it was limited to ships, squadrons, and men who participated in the Atlantic Neutrality Patrols prior to the formal declaration of war, and so the clasp essentially amounted to another battle star.

ww2dbaseSources:
United States Navy
NavSource Naval History
Air Group 4 - Casablanca to Tokyo
UBoat.net
Military Times
Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Jan 2022

Aircraft Carrier Ranger (CV-4) Interactive Map

Photographs

Launching of carrier Ranger, Newport News, Virginia, United States, 25 Feb 1933. Photo 1 of 2.Launching of carrier Ranger, Newport News, Virginia, United States, 25 Feb 1933. Photo 2 of 2.United States First Lady Mrs. Lou Hoover christening Ranger upon the ship’s launch at Newport News, Virginia, 25 Feb 1933. Behind Mrs. Hoover, in the dark hat, is Secretary of the Navy Charles Adams. Photo 1 of 2.United States First Lady Mrs. Lou Hoover christening Ranger upon the ship’s launch at Newport News, Virginia, 25 Feb 1933. Behind Mrs. Hoover, in the dark hat, is Secretary of the Navy Charles Adams. Photo 2 of 2.
See all 59 photographs of Aircraft Carrier Ranger (CV-4)

Ranger Operational Timeline

26 Sep 1931 The keel of the aircraft carrier Ranger was laid down at Newport News, Virginia. Ranger was the first United States ship intended to be an aircraft carrier from the moment the keel was laid.
25 Feb 1933 The aircraft carrier Ranger was launched at Newport News, Virginia with First Lady Lou Hoover as sponsor. As this was during America’s Prohibition period, Mrs. Hoover cracked a bottle of grape juice against the bow of the ship.
4 Jun 1934 America's fourth aircraft carrier, USS Ranger, was commissioned at Norfolk, Virginia, United States under the command of Captain Arthur L. Bristol. Although smaller than the USS Lexington and USS Saratoga, Ranger was the first US carrier to be designed and built as such from the keel up. Ranger, which cost $20,000,000 to build, incorporated many design features that led to the more functional vessels of World War II.
21 Jun 1934 The first aircraft landed aboard USS Ranger at Hampton Roads, Virginia, a Vought O3U-2 Corsair scout plane flown by Lt Cmdr. Arthur C. Davis with Chief Aviation Machinist Mate H. E. Wallace as observer.
17 Aug 1934 USS Ranger departed Norfolk, Virginia on her shakedown cruise to South America.
4 Oct 1934 After visiting ports of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay, USS Ranger returned from her shakedown cruise to Norfolk, Virginia.
28 Mar 1935 USS Ranger departed Norfolk, Virginia bound for the Pacific.
7 Apr 1935 USS Ranger transited the Panama Canal for the first time and entered the Pacific.
15 Apr 1935 USS Ranger arrived at San Diego, California.
10 Jun 1936 Captain Patrick Bellinger relieved Captain Bristol as commanding officer of USS Ranger
3 Jun 1937 Captain John S. McCain, Sr. relieved Captain Bellinger as commanding officer of USS Ranger
4 Jan 1939 USS Ranger departed San Diego, California bound for Fleet Exercises in the Caribbean.
13 Jan 1939 USS Ranger transited the Panama Canal on her way to Fleet Exercises in the Caribbean.
18 Apr 1939 USS Ranger arrived at Norfolk, Virginia.
6 Jun 1939 Captain Ralph Wood relieved Captain McCain as commanding officer of USS Ranger.
14 Sep 1939 Aircraft carrier USS Ranger and battleships USS New York and Texas are designated as a striking force held in reserve at Hampton Roads, Virginia in support of destroyers and Coast Guard cutters on Neutrality Patrols in the Atlantic.
6 Jun 1940 Captain Alfred Montgomery relieved Captain Wood as commanding officer of USS Ranger.
9 May 1941 Task Group 1, comprised of aircraft carrier USS Ranger, heavy cruiser USS Vincennes, and destroyers USS Sampson and Eberle, sailed from Bermuda on a 4,675-mile Neutrality Patrol in the Atlantic.
23 May 1941 USS Ranger, USS Vincennes, and their task group returned to Bermuda and conclude their two-week Neutrality Patrol.
29 May 1941 Task Group 3, comprised of aircraft carrier USS Ranger, heavy cruiser USS Tuscaloosa, and destroyers USS McDougal and Eberle, sailed from Bermuda on a 4,355-mile Neutrality Patrol in the Atlantic.
8 Jun 1941 USS Ranger, USS Tuscaloosa, and their task group returned to Bermuda and conclude their ten-day Neutrality Patrol.
13 Jun 1941 Captain William Harrill relieved Captain Montgomery as commanding officer of USS Ranger.
10 Nov 1941 USS Ranger served as flagship of a convoy escort group that departed Halifax, Nova Scotia bound for Great Britain.
8 Dec 1941 USS Ranger completed her final Atlantic Neutrality Patrol when she arrived at Norfolk, Virginia.
21 Dec 1941 USS Ranger departed Norfolk on a patrol to the South Atlantic.
22 Mar 1942 USS Ranger entered the Norfolk Navy Yard for repairs and an overhaul.
13 Apr 1942 USS Ranger departed Norfolk, Virginia bound for Newport, Rhode Island.
14 Apr 1942 USS Ranger anchored in Narragansett Bay, Newport, Rhode Island.
22 Apr 1942 With 68 US Army P-40 Warhawk fighters loaded aboard USS Ranger, Ranger and cruiser USS Augusta departed Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island bound for Trinidad.
28 Apr 1942 USS Ranger and Augusta arrived at Port of Spain, Trinidad.
29 Apr 1942 USS Ranger and Augusta continue with their aircraft ferrying assignment and depart Port of Spain, Trinidad bound for Africa’s Gold Coast.
10 May 1942 125 miles southeast of Accra, British West Africa (now Ghana), USS Ranger launched 68 US Army P-40 fighters of the 33rd Pursuit Squadron for transfer to nearby airfields.
21 May 1942 USS Ranger and Augusta arrived at Port of Spain, Trinidad.
23 May 1942 USS Ranger and Augusta departed Port of Spain, Trinidad bound for Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
28 May 1942 USS Ranger anchored in Narragansett Bay, Newport, Rhode Island.
30 May 1942 Captain Calvin Durgin relieved Captain Harrill as commanding officer of USS Ranger at Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
2 Jun 1942 USS Ranger and USS Augusta departed Quonset Point, Rhode Island bound for Argentia, Newfoundland.
5 Jun 1942 USS Ranger and Augusta arrived at Argentia, Newfoundland.
20 Jun 1942 USS Ranger and USS Augusta departed Argentia, Newfoundland bound for Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
22 Jun 1942 USS Ranger and USS Augusta arrived at Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
1 Jul 1942 With 72 US Army P-40 Warhawk fighters loaded aboard USS Ranger, Ranger and cruisers USS Augusta and Juneau departed Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island bound for Trinidad.
6 Jul 1942 USS Ranger, Augusta, and Juneau arrived at Port of Spain, Trinidad.
8 Jul 1942 USS Ranger and Augusta continue with their aircraft ferrying assignment and depart Port of Spain, Trinidad bound for Africa’s Gold Coast.
19 Jul 1942 Ninety miles off Accra, British West Africa (now Ghana), USS Ranger launched 72 P-40F fighters for transfer to nearby airfields; they were destined to reinforce the 10th Air Force in India.
30 Jul 1942 USS Ranger and Augusta arrived at Port of Spain, Trinidad.
31 Jul 1942 USS Ranger and Augusta departed Port of Spain, Trinidad bound for Norfolk, Virginia.
5 Aug 1942 USS Ranger and Augusta arrived at Norfolk, Virginia.
23 Aug 1942 USS Ranger and Augusta departed Norfolk, Virginia bound for Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
25 Aug 1942 USS Ranger and Augusta arrived at Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
30 Aug 1942 USS Ranger departed Quonset Point, Rhode Island bound for Norfolk, Virginia.
31 Aug 1942 USS Ranger arrived at Norfolk, Virginia.
3 Oct 1942 USS Ranger departed Norfolk, Virginia bound for Bermuda.
6 Oct 1942 USS Ranger arrived at Grassy Bay, Bermuda.
25 Oct 1942 USS Ranger departed Bermuda as part of Task Force 34 bound for the invasion of North Africa (Operation Torch).
8 Nov 1942 Allied forces attacked French forces at Moroccan ports of Safi and Casablanca during Operation Torch, capturing the former.
10 Nov 1942 French submarine Le Tonnant attacked USS Ranger off French Morocco at 1000 hours; all four torpedoes missed, and the American counterattack was equally ineffective. On land, American troops captured the French fort of Kasbah, which led to the fall of Port Lyautey. At Casablanca, American ships sortied to respond to an attack by French sloops only to be surprised by an operational Jean Bart; aircraft from USS Ranger were launched to sink Jean Bart in shallow water by bombing.
13 Nov 1942 USS Ranger began her withdrawal from the Moroccan coast and began steaming westward bound for Bermuda.
21 Nov 1942 USS Ranger arrived at Port Royal Bay, Bermuda.
22 Nov 1942 USS Ranger departed Port Royal Bay, Bermuda bound for Norfolk, Virginia.
23 Nov 1942 USS Ranger arrived at Norfolk, Virginia.
16 Dec 1942 USS Ranger entered drydock at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia.
6 Jan 1943 USS Ranger was floated out of drydock at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia.
8 Jan 1943 With a load of 72 USAAF P-40F fighters, USS Ranger departed Norfolk, Virginia bound for North Africa.
19 Jan 1943 USS Ranger launched 72 USAAF P-40F fighters off Casablanca, French Morocco to reinforce Allied forces fighting in North Africa. Ranger began withdrawing toward Norfolk, Virginia almost immediately.
30 Jan 1943 USS Ranger arrived at Norfolk, Virginia.
13 Feb 1943 With a load of 75 USAAF P-40L fighters, USS Ranger departed Norfolk, Virginia bound for North Africa.
24 Feb 1943 USS Ranger launched 75 USAAF P-40L fighters off Casablanca, French Morocco to reinforce Allied forces fighting in North Africa. Ranger began withdrawing toward Norfolk, Virginia almost immediately.
26 Feb 1943 Alpino Bagnolini sighted an aircraft over the horizon in the Atlantic Ocean at 1745 hours; she submerged to avoid detection. Shortly after, the aircraft, which was an US Avenger torpedo bomber from USS Ranger piloted by Ensign G. W. Bolt of VT-4 squadron, drop two 325-pound depth charges at the altitude of 200 feet, causing minor damage to both the Italian submarine as well as the bottom of the US aircraft. The aircraft circled for ten minutes, noted no sign of the submarine's destruction, and returned to the carrier ten minutes later.
2 Mar 1943 On USS Ranger’s return voyage from North Africa to Norfolk, one of her patrol planes observed two life boats adrift. One of Ranger’s escorts, destroyer USS Hobson, picked up 46 survivors from the British merchant ship St. Margaret, torpedoed by U-66 three days earlier on 27 Feb 1943.
6 Mar 1943 USS Ranger arrived at Norfolk, Virginia.
9 Mar 1943 USS Ranger departed Norfolk, Virginia bound for Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
10 Mar 1943 USS Ranger arrived at Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
17 Mar 1943 Captain Gordon Rowe relieved Captain Durgin as commanding officer of USS Ranger.
24 Mar 1943 USS Ranger departed Quonset Point for four days of carrier qualifications and anti-submarine training.
28 Mar 1943 USS Ranger arrived at Casco Bay, Maine.
30 Mar 1943 USS Ranger shifted from Casco Bay, Maine to the Boston Navy Yard, Massachusetts.
2 Apr 1943 USS Ranger departed the Boston Navy Yard bound for Argentia, Newfoundland.
5 Apr 1943 USS Ranger arrived at Argentia, Newfoundland.
24 Jul 1943 USS Ranger departed Argentia, Newfoundland bound for the Boston Navy Yard in Massachusetts.
27 Jul 1943 USS Ranger arrived at the Boston Navy Yard, Massachusetts.
5 Aug 1943 USS Ranger departed the Boston Navy Yard bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia.
9 Aug 1943 USS Ranger arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia.
11 Aug 1943 USS Ranger departed Halifax, Nova Scotia bound for Scapa Flow, Scotland.
19 Aug 1943 USS Ranger arrived at Scapa Flow, Scotland where she joined the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet.
31 Aug 1943 Fleet Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser, Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet, came aboard USS Ranger at Scapa Flow, Scotland and remained aboard for that day’s exercises with the Home Fleet. Ranger returned to Scapa Flow later that day and Admiral Fraser left the ship.
8 Sep 1943 USS Ranger sailed from Scapa Flow, Scotland on a sortie with the Home Fleet that ranged 350 miles northward into the Norwegian Sea east of Iceland.
10 Sep 1943 USS Ranger returned to the anchorage at Scapa Flow, Scotland.
2 Oct 1943 USS Ranger sortied from Scapa Flow, Scotland with the Home Fleet as part of Operation Leader designed to attack German shipping in the harbor at Bodø, Norway.
4 Oct 1943 The American aircraft carrier, USS Ranger, launched her air group to attack German shipping at Bodø, Norway as part of Operation Leader. The Ranger's Dauntless and Avenger aircraft sank or damaged ten ships for the loss of five aircraft. This action would be the only carrier strike to be conducted by the US Navy in Northern European waters.
6 Oct 1943 USS Ranger and the ships of Operation Leader returned to the anchorage at Scapa Flow, Scotland.
15 Oct 1943 USS Ranger and the Home Fleet departed Scapa Flow, Scotland bound for Akureyri on the north coast of Iceland.
16 Oct 1943 USS Ranger and the Royal Navy Home Fleet crossed the Arctic Circle before arriving at Akureyri, Iceland.
17 Oct 1943 USS Ranger and the Royal Navy Home Fleet sortied from Akureyri, Iceland on an Arctic patrol that extended 750 miles north of Iceland.
19 Oct 1943 USS Ranger and the Royal Navy Home Fleet reached their northern-most point in their Arctic patrol before returning south to Scapa Flow.
22 Oct 1943 USS Ranger and the Royal Navy Home Fleet arrived at Scapa Flow, Scotland.
24 Oct 1943 USS Ranger departed Scapa Flow bound for Rosyth, Scotland.
25 Oct 1943 USS Ranger arrived at Rosyth, Scotland for “Yard Availability.â€
28 Oct 1943 USS Ranger entered Drydock #1 at Rosyth, Scotland.
3 Nov 1943 USS Ranger was floated out of Drydock #1 at Rosyth, Scotland and anchored in the Forth River.
4 Nov 1943 USS Ranger departed Rosyth, Scotland bound for Scapa Flow.
5 Nov 1943 USS Ranger arrived at Scapa Flow, Scotland.
22 Nov 1943 USS Ranger departed Scapa Flow bound for Hvalfjörður, Iceland.
24 Nov 1943 USS Ranger arrived at Hvalfjörður, Iceland.
26 Nov 1943 USS Ranger departed Hvalfjörður, Iceland bound for Boston, Massachusetts.
3 Dec 1943 USS Ranger arrived at the Boston Navy Yard, Massachusetts.
2 Jan 1944 USS Ranger departed Boston bound for Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
3 Jan 1944 USS Ranger arrived at Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
5 Feb 1944 USS Ranger departed Quonset Point bound for Boston, Massachusetts.
8 Feb 1944 USS Ranger arrived at the Boston Navy Yard and entered Drydock #3 to replace damaged port propeller.
10 Feb 1944 USS Ranger was floated out of drydock and departed Boston bound for Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
12 Feb 1944 USS Ranger arrived at Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
19 Apr 1944 USS Ranger departed Quonset Point bound for Staten Island, New York.
20 Apr 1944 USS Ranger arrived at the Army Base, Staten Island, New York and began loading P-38 Lighting aircraft for further transportation to Casablanca.
22 Apr 1944 Captain Arthur Gavin relieved Captain Rowe as commanding officer of USS Ranger.
23 Apr 1944 With fleet carrier USS Ranger loaded with 76 US Army P-38 Lightning aircraft and escort carrier USS Card loaded with 100 US Army P-51 Mustang fighters and 204 US Army personnel, both ships, along with their escorts, departed New York bound for Casablanca in French Morocco.
4 May 1944 Fleet carrier USS Ranger and escort carrier USS Card arrived at Casablanca in French Morocco.
7 May 1944 Fleet carrier USS Ranger and escort carrier USS Card departed Casablanca in French Morocco bound for New York.
16 May 1944 USS Ranger arrived at the Army Base, Staten Island, New York.
18 May 1944 USS Ranger departed New York bound for Norfolk, Virginia.
19 May 1944 USS Ranger arrived at Norfolk, Virginia for extended repairs and upgrades to make Ranger into a night-fighter training carrier, including strengthening her flight deck and installing one catapult. This is also when Ranger received her Measure 33, Design 1A Dazzle paint scheme.
11 Jul 1944 USS Ranger departed Norfolk, Virginia bound for the Panama Canal.
16 Jul 1944 USS Ranger transited the Panama Canal and entered the Pacific.
18 Jul 1944 USS Ranger departed the Panama Canal Zone bound for San Diego, California.
25 Jul 1944 As USS Ranger approached San Diego, her task group became the object of a simulated air attack by three different air groups based in San Diego and Ranger’s group was ordered to take necessary evasive actions. First, six PB4Y Liberator reconnaissance planes from Bombing Squadron VB-117 detected the force. Then, F4U Corsairs from a Marine Corps squadron made a straffing attack. This was followed by a coordinated air group attack from Air Group 84 consisting of F6f Hellcats, SB2C Helldivers, and TBM Avengers. Ranger and her escorts then entered San Diego harbor.
28 Jul 1944 With planes and personnel of Night Fighter squadron VF(N)-102 aboard as well as additional aircraft for transportation, USS Ranger departed San Diego bound for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
1 Aug 1944 USS Ranger arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii for two months duty as a training carrier in and around Hawaii.
11 Sep 1944 While conducting flight training in Hawaiian waters south of Oahu, an F6F Hellcat landed aboard USS Ranger but the pilot mistook a taxi signal for a take-off signal and powered forward into parked aircraft. Three aircraft were damaged, two flight deck sailors were killed, and one was injured.
18 Oct 1944 USS Ranger departed Pearl Harbor bound for San Diego, California for duty as a training carrier along the California coast, operating between San Diego and Alameda.
22 Oct 1944 USS Ranger departed San Diego bound for the San Francisco Bay, California.
28 Oct 1944 The 50,000th carrier landing for USS Ranger occurred during carrier training off the California coast.
15 Jan 1945 Captain Douglass Johnson relieved Captain Gavin as commanding officer of USS Ranger at San Diego, California.
30 Sep 1945 USS Ranger departed San Diego bound for the Panama Canal.
9 Oct 1945 USS Ranger arrived at Balboa, Panama Canal Zone.
11 Oct 1945 USS Ranger transited the Panama Canal and entered the Caribbean.
12 Oct 1945 USS Ranger departed the Panama Canal Zone bound for New Orleans, Louisiana.
16 Oct 1945 USS Ranger arrived at New Orleans, Louisiana.
30 Oct 1945 USS Ranger departed New Orleans bound for Pensacola, Florida.
31 Oct 1945 USS Ranger arrived at Pensacola, Florida.
13 Nov 1945 USS Ranger departed Pensacola, Florida bound for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
17 Nov 1945 USS Ranger arrived Hampton Roads, Virginia to offload bombs, ammunition, and aviation gasoline prior to entering the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
18 Nov 1945 USS Ranger departed Hampton Roads, Virginia and resumed her course to the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
19 Nov 1945 USS Ranger arrived at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
14 Jan 1946 USS Ranger departed the Philadelphia Navy Yard bound for Norfolk, Virginia.
15 Jan 1946 USS Ranger arrived at Norfolk, Virginia.
18 Jan 1946 USS Ranger departed Norfolk, Virginia bound for Pensacola, Florida.
22 Jan 1946 USS Ranger arrived at Pensacola, Florida and assumed carrier qualification duty, relieving USS Guadalcanal.
14 Mar 1946 Averaging 200 landings per week, USS Ranger recorded her 82,000th carrier landing while serving as the qualification carrier at Pensacola, Florida.
1 May 1946 Captain George Dussault relieved Captain Johnson as commanding officer of USS Ranger.
1 Oct 1946 In Ranger’s last change of command, Commander Ray Davis relieved Captain Dussault as commanding officer of USS Ranger.
18 Oct 1946 Aircraft carrier USS Ranger was decommissioned at Norfolk, Virginia and was made ready for scrapping.
28 Jan 1947 Former aircraft carrier Ranger was sold for scrapping.




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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. James Postell says:
29 May 2021 04:40:55 PM

My father, Lake E. Postell, was a Petty Officer aboard the USS Ranger during WWII. The Ranger was the first and last carrier to have two conning towers. None of the single conning tower pics are actually of the Ranger.
2. Commenter identity confirmed David Stubblebine says:
19 Jan 2022 11:57:26 AM

James Postell (above):
I am not sure what you mean by conning towers on an aircraft carrier, but if you mean islands, Ranger only had one and always did. If you mean those protrusions on either side of the flight deck aft, there are indeed two sets of them but they are the funnels (exhaust stacks), 3 on each side – unique to Ranger.

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More on Ranger
Personnel:
» McCain, John

Event(s) Participated:
» United States Neutrality Patrol
» Operation Torch

Document(s):
» US Aircraft Carrier Functions
» US Aircraft Carrier Operational Status By Month
» US Carrier Time Operational

Aircraft Carrier Ranger (CV-4) Photo Gallery
Launching of carrier Ranger, Newport News, Virginia, United States, 25 Feb 1933. Photo 1 of 2.
See all 59 photographs of Aircraft Carrier Ranger (CV-4)


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