USS Ranger (CV-4)

The USS "Ranger" (CV-4) was the first ship of the United States Navy to be designed and built from the keel up as an aircraft carrier. "Ranger" was a relatively small ship, closer in size and displacement to the first United States aircraft carrier, USS|Langley|CV-1|6, than later ships. An island superstructure was not included in the original design, but was added after completion. "Ranger" was only one of three pre-war U.S. aircraft carriers to survive World War II, although unlike the others, she spent most of the war in non-combat roles

Construction

"Ranger" was laid down on 26 September 1931 by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Newport News, Virginia, launched 25 February 1933, sponsored by Lou Henry Hoover (the wife of the President of the United States), and commissioned at the Norfolk Navy Yard on 4 June 1934, with Captain Arthur L. Bristol in command.

1934-1941

"Ranger" conducted her first air operations off Cape Henry on 6 August 1934 and departed Norfolk the 17th for a shakedown training cruise that took her to Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo. She returned to Norfolk 4 October for operations off the Virginia Capes until 28 March 1935, when she sailed for the Pacific. Transiting the Panama Canal on 7 April, she arrived in San Diego on the 15th. For nearly 4 years she participated in fleet problems reaching to Hawaii, and in western seaboard operations that took her as far south as Callao, Peru, and as far north as Seattle, Washington. On 4 January 1939, she departed San Diego for winter fleet operations in the Caribbean based at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. She then steamed north to Norfolk, arriving 18 April.

"Ranger" cruised along the eastern seaboard out of Norfolk and into the Caribbean Sea. In the fall of 1939, she commenced Neutrality Patrol operations, operating out of Bermuda along the trade routes of the middle Atlantic and up the eastern seaboard up to NS Argentia, Newfoundland.

World War II

1942

In December 1941 She was returning to Norfolk from an ocean patrol extending to Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Arriving Norfolk 8 December, she sailed on the 21st for patrol in the South Atlantic. She then entered the Norfolk Navy Yard for repairs 22 March 1942. "Ranger" was one of fourteen ships to receive the early RCA CXAM-1 radar.

"Ranger" served as flagship of Rear Admiral A. B. Cook, Commander, Carriers, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, until 6 April 1942, when he was relieved by Rear Admiral Ernest D. McWhorter, who also broke his flag in "Ranger".

Steaming to Naval Air Station Quonset Point, Rhode Island, "Ranger" loaded 68 Curtiss P-40 planes and men of the United States Army Air Force's 33rd Pursuit Squadron, put to sea on 22 April, and launched the Army squadron on 10 May to land at Accra, on the Gold Coast of Africa (Ghana). She returned to Quonset Point on 28 May 1942, made a patrol to Argentia, then steamed out of Newport on 1 July with another 72 Army P-40s, which she launched off the coast of Africa for Accra on 19 July. Both groups of P-40s were en route to relieve the Flying Tigers in China. After calling at Trinidad, she returned to Norfolk for local battle practice until 1 October, then based her training at Bermuda in the company of four new "Sangamon"-class escort aircraft carriers; ships converted from oil tankers to increase the United States' air power in the Atlantic Ocean.

As the largest carrier in the Atlantic Fleet, "Ranger" led the task force comprising herself and the four escort carriers. These provided air superiority during the amphibious invasion of Vichy-ruled French Morocco in Operation Torch, beginning on 8 November 1942.

It was still dark at 0615 that day, when the "Ranger", stationed convert|30|mi|km|-1 northwest of Casablanca, began launching her aircraft to support the landings made at three points on the Atlantic coast of North Africa (Operation "Torch"). Nine of her F4F Wildcat fighters attacked the Rabat and Rabat-Sale aerodromes, headquarters of the French air forces in Morocco. Without loss to themselves, they destroyed seven planes at one field, and fourteen bombers at the other. Another flight destroyed seven planes on the Port Lyautey field. Some of "Ranger's" planes strafed four French destroyers in Casablanca Harbor, while others strafed and bombed nearby shore batteries.

The carrier launched 496 combat sorties in the 3-day operation. Her attack aircraft scored two direct bomb hits on the French destroyer leader "Albatros", completely wrecking her forward half and causing 300 casualties. They also attacked the French cruiser "Primauguet" as she sortied from Casablanca Harbor and dropped depth charges within lethal distance of two submarines. They knocked out coastal defense and anti-aircraft batteries, destroyed more than 70 enemy aircraft on the ground, and shot down 15 aircraft in aerial combat. However, 16 planes from "Ranger" were lost or damaged beyond repair. It was estimated that 21 light enemy tanks were immobilized and some 86 military vehicles destroyed - most of them troop-carrying trucks.

Casablanca capitulated to the American forces on 11 November 1942. "Ranger" departed from the Moroccan coast on 12 November, returning to Norfolk, Virginia, on 23 November.

1943

Following training in Chesapeake Bay, the "Ranger" underwent an overhaul at the Norfolk Navy Yard from 16 December 1942 to 7 February 1943. She next transported 75 P-40L Army fighters to Africa, arriving at Casablanca on 23 February. Next, she patrolled and trained pilots along the New England coast steaming as far north as Halifax, Nova Scotia. Departing from Halifax 11 August, she joined the British Home Fleet at Scapa Flow, Scotland, on 19 August, with which she patrolled the approaches to the British Isles.

The "Ranger" departed from Scapa Flow with the Home Fleet on 2 October to attack German shipping in Norwegian waters (Operation "Leader"). The objective of the force was the northern Norwegian port of Bodø. The task force reached launch position off Vestfjord before dawn on 4 October completely undetected. At 0618, the "Ranger" launched 20 SBD Dauntless dive bombers and an escort of eight Wildcat fighters. One division of dive bombers attacked the 8,000-ton freighter "LaPlata", while the rest continued north to attack a German ship convoy. The bombers severely damaged a 10,000-ton tanker and a smaller troop transport. They also sank two of four small German merchant ships in the Bodö roadstead.

A second attack group from "Ranger", consisting of ten TBF Avengers and six Wildcats, destroyed a German freighter and a small coastal ship, and bombed a troop-laden transport. Three of the aircraft were lost to anti-aircraft fire. On the afternoon of 4 October, the "Ranger" was located by three German aircraft; her combat air patrol shot down two of the enemy planes and chased away the third.

The "Ranger" returned to Scapa Flow on 6 October 1943. She patrolled with the British Second Battle Squadron in waters extending northweastward to Iceland, and then she departed from Hvalfjord on 26 November, arriving at Boston on 4 December.

1944–45

On 3 January 1944, "Ranger" became a training carrier out of Quonset Point, Rhode Island. This duty was interrupted on 20 April when she steamed to Staten Island, New York, to take on 76 P-38 Lightning fighter planes, together with Army, Navy, and French Navy personnel, for transportation to Casablanca. Steaming out on 24 April, she arrived at Casablanca on 4 May. The new aircraft were replaced with damaged U.S. Army aircraft marked for repair in the United States, while military passengers were embarked for the return to New York City.

Prior to her returning to the United States, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Ernest J. King had planned to overhaul the carrier by lengthening the hull and installing new engines. "Ranger" had been designed in the late 1920s, and consequently was smaller, slower, less armored, and carried fewer aircraft and ammunition supplies than the rest of the U.S. carrier fleet. Admiral King favored having the conversions done, but his staff officers pointed out that the resources required to accomplish this would impact on the construction and repair of newer, larger, and more capable aircraft carriers. Based on this information, the full project was cancelled. After arriving at New York Harbor on 16 May, "Ranger" entered the Norfolk Navy Yard to have her flight deck strengthened, new aircraft catapults installed, and radar equipment updated. This provided her with the capability of night-fighter interceptor training. On 11 July 1944, she from departed Norfolk headed for Panama. She transited the Panama Canal five days later, embarked several hundred U.S. Army passengers at Balboa, Panama, then sailed to San Diego, California, arriving there on 25 July. After embarking the men and aircraft of Night Fighting Squadron 102 and nearly a thousand U.S. Marines, the "Ranger" steamed for Hawaiian waters on 28 July, reaching Pearl Harbor on 3 August. During the next three months, the "Ranger" conducted night carrier flight training operations out of Pearl Harbor.

The "Ranger" departed from Pearl Harbor, on 18 October to train new naval pilots for combat duty. Operating out of San Diego under the Commander, Fleet Air, Alameda, California, the "Ranger" continued training air groups and squadrons along the California coast throughout the remainder of the war. "Ranger" was the only U.S. carrier in existence prior to the start of the war that never engaged the Japanese in battle.

Final operations

Departing San Diego 30 September 1945, she embarked civilian and military passengers at Balboa and then steamed for New Orleans, Louisiana, arriving 18 October. Following Navy Day celebrations there, she sailed 30 October for brief operations at Pensacola, Florida. After calling at Norfolk, she entered the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 18 November for overhaul. She remained on the eastern seaboard until decommissioned at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard 18 October 1946. Struck from the Naval Vessel Register 29 October 1946, she was sold for scrap to Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Chester, Pennsylvania, 28 January 1947.

The "Ranger" received two battle stars for her World War II service.

ee also

* List of aircraft carriers
* list of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy
* List of World War II ships

References

*

External links

* [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-r/cv4.htm Navy photographs of "Ranger" (CV-4)]
* [http://home.roadrunner.com/~ussranger/ranger1.html Additional photographs of "Ranger" (CV-4) before and during WWII including postcards]
* [http://digital.library.unt.edu/permalink/meta-dc-929:2 U.S. Newsmap featuring the USS Ranger (CV-4)] , hosted by the [http://digital.library.unt.edu/ UNT Libraries Digital Collections]
* [http://home.roadrunner.com/~ussranger/home-on-the-ranger.html "Home On The Range(r)" - A shipboard song written in 1939. Author Unknown.]