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| Ranger VI (CV-4: dp. 14,500; 1. 769'; b. 81'8"; ew. 86'; dr. 19'8"; s. 29.25 k.; cpl. 1,788; a. 8 5"; el. Ranger) The sixth Ranger (CV-4), the first ship of the Navy to be designed and built from the keel up as an aircraft carrier, was laid down 26 September 1931 bv Newport News Shipbuilding & DryDock Co., Newport News, Va.; launched 25 February 1933; sponsored by Mrs. Herbert Hoover; and commissioned at the Norfolk Navy Yard 4 June 1934, Capt. Arthur L. Bristol in command. Ranger conducted her first air operations off Cape Henry 6 August 1934 and departed Norfolk the 17th for a shakedown training cruise that took her to Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and Montivideo. 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 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, Wash. On 4 January 1939, she departed San Diego for winter fleet operations in the Caribbean out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She then steamed north to Norfolk, Va., arriving 18 April. Ranger cruised along the eastern seaboard out of Norfolk and into the Caribbean Sea. In the fall of 1939, she commeneed Neutrality Patrol operations, operating out of Bermuda along the trade routes of the middle Atlantic and up the eastern seaboard up to Argentia, I\ewfoundland. She was returning to Norfolk from an ocean patrol extending to Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, 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 served as flagship of Rear Adm. A. B. Cook, Commander, Carriers, Atlantic Fleet, until 6 April 1942, when he was relieved by Rear Adm. Ernest D. McWhorter, who also broke his flag in Ranger. Steaming to Quonset Point, R.I., Ranger loaded 68 Army P-40 planes and men of the Army's 33d Pursuit Squadron put to sea 22 April, and launched the Army squadron 10 May to land at Aeera, on the Gold Coast of Afriea. She returned to Quonset Point 28 May 1942, made a patrol to Argentia, then stood out of Newport 1 July with 72 Army P-40 pursuit planes, which she launched off the coast of Africa for Aeera the 19th. After calling at Trinidad, she returned to Norfolk for local battle practice until 1 October, then based her training at Bermuda in company with four escort aircraft carriers that had been newly converted from tankers to meet the need for naval air power in the Atlantic. The only large carrier in the Atlantic Fleet, Ranger led the task force comprising herself and four Sangomon-elass escort carriers that provided air superiority during the amphibious invasion of German dominated Freneh Moroceo which commenced the morning of 8 November 1942. It was still dark at 0615 that day, when Ranger, stationed 30 miles northwest of Casablanea, began launching her aireraft to support the landings made at three noints on the Atlantic coast of North Africa. Nine of her Wildcats attacked the Rabat and Rabat-Sale airdromes, headquarters of the Freneh air forces in Moroceo. Without loss to themselves, they destroyed seven planes on one field, and 14 bombers on the other. Another flight destroyed seven planes on the Port Lyautey field. Some of Ranger's planes strafed four Freneh destroyers in Casablanca Harbor while others strafed and bombed nearby batteries. The carrier launched 496 combat sorties in the 3-day operation. Her attack aircraft scored two direct bomh hits on the Freneh destroyer leader Albatros, eomplete]y wrecking her forward half and causing 300 casualties. They also attaeked Freneh cruiser Primaugut as she sortied from Casablanea Harbor, dropped depth charges within lethal distance of two submarines, and knocked out coastal defense and antiaireraft batteries. They destroyed more than 70 enemy planes on the ground and shot down 15 in aerial combat. But 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. Casablanea capitulated to the American invaders 11 November 1942 and Ranger departed the Morocean coast 12 November, returning to Norfolk, Va., on the 23d. Following training in Chesapeake Bay, the carrier underwent overhaul in the Norfolk Navy Yard from 16 December 1942 to 7 February 1943. She next transported 75 P-40-L Army pursuit planes to Africa, arriving Casablanca on 23 February; then patrollod and trained T,ilots along the New England coast steaming as far north as Halifax, Nova Seotia. Departing Halifax 11 August, she joined the British Home Fleet at Seapa Flow, Scotland, 19 August, and patrolled the approaches to the British Isles. Ranger departed Seapa Flow with the Home Fleet 2 October to attack C.erman shipping in Norwegian waters. The ob jeetive of the force was the Norwegian port of Bodd. The tas} force reached launch position off Vestfjord before dawn 4 October completely undetected. At 0618, Ranger launched 2t Dauntless dive bombers and an escort of eight Wildeat fighters. One division of dive bombers attacked the 8,000-ton freighter LaRlata, while the rest continued north to attack a small German convoy. They severely damaged a 10,000-ton tanker and a smaller troop transport. They also sank two of four small German merchantmen in the Bodo roadstead. A second Ranger attack group of 10 Avengers and six ~ ildeats destroyed a German freighter and a small coaster and bombed yet another troop-laden transport. Three Ranger planes were lost to antiaircraft fire. On the afternoon df 4 October, Ranger was finally located by three German aircraft but her combat air patrol shot down two of the enemy planes and ohased off the third. Ranger returned to Scapa Flow 6 October 1943. She patrolled with the British Seeond Battle Squadron in waters reaching to Ieeland, and then departed Hvalfjord on 26 November, arriving Boston 4 December. On 3 January 1944, she became a training carrier out of Quonset Point, R.I. This duty was interrupted 20 April when she arrived at Staten Island, N.Y., to load 76 P-38 fighter planes together with Army, Navy, and Freneh Naval personnel for transport to Casablanea. Sailing 24 April, she arrived Casablanca 4 May. There she onloaded Army aircraft destined for stateside repairs and embarked military passengers for the return to New York. Touching at New York 16 May, Ranger then entered the Norfolk Navy Yard to have her flight deek strengthened and for installation of a new type catapult, radar, and asRociated gear that provided her with a capacity for night fighter intereeptor training. On 11 July 1944 she departed Norfolk transited the Panama Canal 5 days later, and embarked several hundred Army passengers at Balboa for transportation to San Diego, arriving there 25 Ju]y. After embarking the men and aircraft of Night Fighting Squadron 102 and nearly a thousand marines, she sailed for Hawaiian waters 28 July, reaching Pearl Harbor 3 August. During the next 3 months she conducted night carrier training operations out of Pearl Harbor. Ranger departed Pearl Harbor 18 October to train pilots for combat duty. Operating out of San Diego under Commander Fleet Air, Alameda, she continued training air groups and squadrons along the California coast throughout the remainder of the war. Departing San Diego 30 September 1945, she embarked civilian and military passengers at Balboa and then steamed for New Orleans, arriving 18 October. Following Navy Day celebrations there, she sailed 30 October for brief operations at Pensscola. 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 Navy list 29 October 1946, she was sold for scrap to Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Chester, Pa., 28 January 1947. Ranger received two battle stars for World War II service. |
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