A Brief History
On February 25, 1933, the USS Ranger was launched at Newport News, Virginia, as the first American aircraft carrier built for the purpose of carrying aircraft. Smaller than later aircraft carrier types, Ranger nonetheless operated effectively throughout World War II, providing important naval air power, mostly in the Atlantic.
Digging Deeper
The fourth US ship designated as an aircraft carrier, Ranger followed ships converted from a collier and the unfinished hulls of two battlecruisers. Lexington and Saratoga were more than 100 feet longer than Ranger, and Langley much smaller.
Ranger was impressive for its day, 769 feet long and 109 wide, and carrying a normal load of 76 aircraft. With three elevators and three catapults, the 2,200 crewmen could quickly launch and retrieve warplanes.
Ranger supported Allied landings in North Africa and ferried Army aircraft across the Atlantic, while also patrolling the seas. The grandmother of real aircraft carriers was decommissioned in 1946 and scrapped in 1947.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Cressman, Robert. Uss Ranger: The Navy’s First Flattop from Keel to Mast, 1934-46. University of North Carolina Press, 2003.
Green, Michael. Aircraft Carriers of the United States Navy. Pen and Sword Maritime, 2015.
The featured image in this article, U.S. Navy photo NH 75709 showing the launch of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4) at the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company, Virginia (USA), on 25 February 1933, is a work of a sailor or employee of the U.S. Navy, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, it is in the public domain in the United States.
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