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Ranger 1944

Ships

No	Name	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comm	Fate
CV4	Ranger	353	Newport News	26.9.1931	25.2.1933	4.7.1934	stricken 10.1946

Technical data

Displacement standard, t	14575
Displacement full, t	17577
Length, m	222.5 wl 234.4 oa
Breadth, m	24.4 wl 33.4 oa
Draught, m	6.83 full load
No of shafts	2
Machinery	2 sets Curtis (HP) / Parsons (LP) geared steam turbines, 6 Babcock & Wilcox boilers
Power, h. p.	53500
Max speed, kts	29.2
Fuel, t	oil 1567 - 2350
Endurance, nm(kts)	7000 (15)
Armour, mm	belt: 51 (aircraft ammunition holds only), bulkheads: 51, deck: 25
Armament	8 x 1 - 127/25 Mk 10.11.13, 40 x 1 - 12.7/90, 76 aircraft (F4B, FF fighters, F8C-4, F11C, BFC, BF2C Goshawk fighters - diving bombers, BM diving / torpedo bombers, T4M, TG torpedo bombers - reconnaissance planes, O2U Corsair, O3U, SU, SF reconnaissance planes)
Complement	1788

Air group

Year	Fighters	dive bombers	torpedo bombers	Seaplanes
6.1936	30 F2F	30 BM and BG, 15 SBU	---	---
1941	18 F4F-3 Wildcat	37 SB2U-1/2	---	4 SOC-1, 2 J2F-1
11.1942	54 F4F Wildcat	18 SBD Dauntless	1 TBF Avenger	---
10.1943	27 F4F Wildcat	27 SBD Dauntless	18 TBF Avenger	---

Standard scale images

Graphics

Aircraft facilities

 (fd - 5,662 m², ha - 3,330 m² / 19,216 m³): Flight deck: 216.1 x 26.2 m. Hangar: 168.2 x 19.8 x 5.77 m. There were 3 elevators (fore and mid: 15.8x12.5m, 6.8t and aft: 12.1x10.6m, 4.1t). Aircraft fuel stowage: 514 400 l. 

Project history

First USN ship originally laid down as an aircraft carrier. Design was developed practically without operating experience of carrier aircraft, rather small (in comparison with Lexington class) dimensions were defined by desire to have largest number of aircraft carriers within the limits of total displacement, contemplated by Washington Treaty of 1922. The decision on building of CV4 with 13800t displacement was accepted in 1930. Originally it was supposed, that it will be flush-deck ship without island superstructure, but during a building design was changed. Six folding smoke tubes (three from each side) became prominent feature of ship. Fitting of originally planed turbo-electric machinery have refused in favour of more compact geared turbines.

As a whole Ranger was appeared not successful: small dimensions and an irrational elevators arrangement strongly inhibited air group action. Also she suffered by insufficient seaworthiness, low stability and absence of underwater protection.

Ship protection

Aircraft armament holds had box-shaped vertical protection with 51mm belt and 51mm bulkheads. Flight deck over hangar had 25mm thickness.

Modernizations 9.

1941: - 16 x 1 - 12.7/90; + 6 x 4 - 28/75 Mk 1

8/1942: + 30 x 1 - 20/70 Mk 4

1/1943: flight deck was lengthened to 228.6 m (fd - 5,989 m², ha - 3,330 m² / 19,216 m³); - 6 x 4 - 28/75, 24 x 1 - 12.7/90; + 6 x 4 - 40/56 Mk 1.2, 16 x 1 - 20/70 Mk 4, SC-2, SP, 2x Mk 4 radars

autumn 1943: - 6 x 1 - 20/70

7/1944: - 8 x 1 - 127/25, 2x Mk 4 radars; + 1 catapult H-II-1, SM radar

1/1946, CV4 Ranger: 6 x 4 - 40/60 Mk 2, 40 x 1 - 20/70 Mk 10, 1 catapult, 76 aircraft, SC-2, SM, SP radars

Naval service

Ranger was used as training carrier since 4.1944.