At the present time, eleven aircraft carriers comprise the fleet of the United States Navy. To provide further information, this represents slightly more than 50% of the operational aircraft carriers that are presently operational around the globe. Each of these eleven carriers, from a specific vantage point, possesses the DNA of a specific common ancestor: the USS Ranger. While not the inaugural carrier in the United States of America, it was the first to be constructed exclusively for the purpose of transporting military aircraft.

CV-4, as it was affectionately christened, could not be considered the first genuine aircraft carrier in United States history, as its precursor, USS Langley, was a direct conversion of the USS Jupiter, an obsolete Navy collier. Nevertheless, the Ranger, which drew its nаme from an extensive line of United States Navy warships dating back almost to the country’s inception, also featured a few unique accessories. CV-4, which was laid down in 1931 at the Newport News Shipbuilding yard in Virginia and commenced operations on this day in 1933, contributed to the development of the blueprint utilized by subsequent US carriers.

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Although not the most renowned United States carrier to have entered service during the Second World Wаr, battlecruisers such as the USS Lexington and USS Saratoga were converted into aircraft carriers. As a result, the Ranger was firmly established in history as the first carrier designed specifically for the United States. In addition to assisting in the formulation of the strategic air doctrine of the United States Navy during the interwar period, the carrier served as a crucial testing ground for American Navy warbirds.

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Certain aircraft produced by renowned and esteemed aviation manufacturers such as Curtiss, Vought, and Grumman underwent a portion of their initial operational service on the Ranger. This includes aircraft such as the Grumman F4F Wildcat and the Vought F4U Corsair, which helped turn the tide against Imperial Japan in the Pacific Theater of World Wаr II. However, despite the fact that thousands of Wildcats served in the Pacific Theater of the Wаr, CV-4 was not present to support them.

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It was resolved that the vessel’s speed was insufficient to match the breakneck pace of Navy Fast Carrier Task Forces in the Pacific, so it was determined that the African and European Theaters of the Wаr against the German Kriegsmarine would be a superior choice for the vessel. CV-4, which was operational in European and North African waters, devoted a significant amount of time to delivering Army Air Corps P-40 Warhawks to combat against Erwin Rommel’s forces during Operation Torch, an Allied operation in French North Africa.

After finishing its wartime mission without encountering Japanese forces in combat, the USS Ranger was decommissioned from the Navy in 1946 and dismantled the following year. On the occasion marking the operational debut of the vessel, we extend our gratitude to the crew members who dedicated their service onboard.