USS Ranger ( CV - 61 ) The seventh USS " Ranger " ( CV / CVA - 61 ) is one of four " Forrestal " - class supercarrier s built for the US Navy in the 1950s . Although all four ships of the class were completed with angled deck s , " Ranger " had the distinction of being the first US carrier built from the very beginning as an angled deck ship . Commissioned in 1957 , she served extensively in the Pacific , especially the Vietnam War , for which she earned 13 battle stars . Near the end of her career she also served in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf . " Ranger " appeared on television in " The Six Million Dollar Man " , " Baa Baa Black Sheep " and in the films " Top Gun " , " " ( standing in for the carrier USS " Enterprise " ) , and " Flight of the Intruder " . " Ranger " was decommissioned in 1993 , and is being stored at Bremerton , Washington . A plan to acquire her as a museum to be berthed on the Columbia River at Fairview , Oregon was rejected in late 2012 , so the current plan is to scrap the ship . Construction and trials . " Ranger " was the first American aircraft carrier to be laid down as an angled - deck ship ( her elder sisters " Forrestal " and " Saratoga " had been laid down as axial - deck ships and were converted for an angled deck while under construction ) . She was laid down 2 August 1954 by Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co . , Newport News , Virginia , launched 29 September 1956 , sponsored by Mrs . Arthur Radford ( wife of Admiral Arthur W . Radford , Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ) and commissioned at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard 10 August 1957 , Captain Charles T . Booth II in command . " Ranger " joined the U . S . Atlantic Fleet on 3 October 1957 . Just prior to sailing on 4 October for Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , for shakedown , she received the men and planes of Attack Squadron 85 . She conducted air operations , individual ship exercises , and final acceptance trials along the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean Sea until 20 June 1958 . She then departed Norfolk , Virginia , with 200 Naval Reserve officer candidates for a two - month cruise that took the carrier around Cape Horn . She arrived at her new homeport , Alameda , California , on 20 August and joined the Pacific Fleet . Service . 1950s . The carrier spent the remainder of 1958 in pilot qualification training for Air Group 14 and fleet exercises along the California coast . Departing 3 January 1959 for final training in Hawaiian waters until 17 February , she next sailed as the flagship of Rear Admiral H . H . Caldwell , Commander , Carrier Division Two , to join the Seventh Fleet . Air operations off Okinawa were followed by maneuvers with SEATO naval units out of Subic Bay . A special weapons warfare exercise and a patrol along the southern seaboard of Japan followed . During this first WestPac deployment , " Ranger " launched more than 7 , 000 sorties in support of 7th Fleet operations . She returned to San Francisco Bay 27 July . During the next 6 months , " Ranger " kept herself in a high state of readiness through participation in exercises and coastal fleet operations . 1960s . With Carrier Air Group 9 embarked , she departed Alameda 6 February 1960 for a second WestPac deployment and returned to Alameda 30 August . From 11 August 1961 through 8 March 1962 , " Ranger " deployed to the Far East a third time . The next seven months were filled with intensive training along the western seaboard in preparation for operations in Southeast Asia . " Ranger " departed Alameda on 9 November for brief operations off Hawaii , thence proceeded , via Okinawa , to the Philippines . She steamed to the South China Sea 1 May 1963 to support possible Laotian operations . When the political situation in Laos relaxed 4 May , she resumed her operations schedule with the 7th Fleet . Arriving at Alameda from the Far East 14 June 1963 , she underwent overhaul in the San Francisco Naval Shipyard 7 August 1963 through 10 February 1964 . Refresher training out of Alameda commenced 25 March , interrupted by an operational cruise to Hawaii from 19 June to 10 July . In May 1964 , " Ranger " was deployed near French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean to monitor the French nuclear tests on Moruroa , a task made possible by launching and recovering a Lockheed U - 2 from its flight deck . The mission was so secret that the carrier crew had to go below deck when the U - 2 was taking off and landing . Work on modifying the U - 2 for carrier landing and take - off started in late 1963 and there was one accident during the carrier landing operation when the aircraft piloted by test pilot Bob Schumacher crashed . Ranger again sailed for the Far East 6 August 1964 . This deployment came on the heels of the Gulf of Tonkin incident . Ranger made only an eight - hour stop in Pearl Harbor 10 August , then hurried on to Subic Bay , thence to Yokosuka , Japan . In the latter port on 17 October 1964 , she became flagship of Rear Admiral Miller who commanded Fast Carrier Task Force 77 . In the following months , she helped the 7th Fleet continue its role of steady watchfulness to keep sea lanes open and stop Communist infiltration by sea . General William Westmoreland , commanding the Military Advisory Command in Vietnam , visited " Ranger " on 9 March 1965 to confer with Rear Admiral Miller . " Ranger " continued air strikes on enemy inland targets until 13 April when a fuel line broke , ignited and engulfed her No . 1 main machinery room in flames . The fire was extinguished in little over an hour . There was one fatality . She put into Subic Bay 15 April and sailed on the 20th for Alameda , arriving home on 6 May . She entered the San Francisco Naval Shipyard 13 May and remained there under overhaul until 30 September . Following refresher training , " Ranger " departed Alameda on 10 December 1965 to rejoin the 7th Fleet . She and her embarked Carrier Air Wing 14 received the Navy Unit Commendation for exceptionally meritorious service during combat operations in Southeast Asia from 10 January to 6 August 1966 . " Ranger " departed the Gulf of Tonkin 6 August for Subic Bay , thence steamed via Yokosuka for Alameda , arriving on the 25th . She stood out of San Francisco Bay 28 September and entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard 2 days later for overhaul . The carrier departed Puget Sound 30 May 1967 for training out of San Diego and Alameda . On 21 July 1967 , she logged her 88 , 000th carrier landing . From June until November , " Ranger " underwent a long and intensive period of training designed to make her fully combat ready . Attack Carrier Air Wing 2 ( CVW - 2 ) embarked on 15 September 1967 , with the new Corsair II jet attack plane and the UH - 2 C Seasprite rescue helicopter , making " Ranger " the first carrier to deploy with these powerful new aircraft . From carrier refresher training for CVW - 2 , " Ranger " proceeded to fleet exercise " Moon Festival . " From 9 to 16 October , the carrier and her air wing participated in every aspect of a major fleet combat operation . " Ranger " departed Alameda 4 November 1967 for WestPac . Arriving Yokosuka 21 November , she relieved " Constellation " and sailed for the Philippines on the 24th . After arriving at Subic Bay on 29 November , she made final preparations for combat operations in the Tonkin Gulf . Commander , Carrier Division 3 , embarked on 30 November as Commander , TG 77 . 7 ; and " Ranger " departed Subic Bay on 1 December for Yankee Station . Arriving on station 3 December 1967 , " Ranger " commenced another period of sustained combat operations against North Vietnam . During the next five months , her planes hit a wide variety of targets , including ferries , bridges , airfields and military installations . Truck parks , rail facilities , antiaircraft guns and SAM sites were also treated to doses of Air Wing 2 ' s firepower . Bob Hope ' s " Christmas Show " came to " Ranger " in Tonkin Gulf on 21 December . Another welcome break in the intense pace of operations came with a call at Yokosuka during the first week of April . Returning to Yankee Station on 11 April , " Ranger " again struck objectives in North Vietnam . After five months of intensive operations , " Ranger " called at Hong Kong 5 May 1968 and then steamed for home . There followed a shipyard availability at Puget Sound that ended with " Ranger ' s " departure 29 July for San Francisco . Three months of leave , upkeep and training culminated in another WestPac deployment 26 October 1968 through 17 May 1969 . 1970s . She departed Alameda on yet another WestPac deployment in October 1969 as flag ship for Rear Admiral J . C . Donaldson Commander Carrier Division Three and Captain J . P . Moorer as commanding officer and remained so employed until 18 May 1970 . During this time the ship spent at least two extended periods on Yankee Station , the longest being 45 days , due to mechanical problems with the carrier that was to relieve her . A pleasant break in the lives of the Rangers crew came with the arrival of the Bob Hope show on 24 December 1969 . Upon leaving Yankee after one tour and on the way Sasebo , Japan the Ranger was ordered to stand off the coast of Korea for 3 days due to North Korea forcing down a Us Ci3o and holding the crew . Initially the Ranger was to leave the line on Yankee station for a week of R & R in Subic Bay while offloading supplies then to Japan and on to Australia and home . A day before Ranger was to leave the line she was ordered to hold on station and fly the first sorties on Cambodia . Finally leaving Yankee station , Ranger made a fast 3 day offload in Subic Bay and a two day port call in Sasebo and back to Alameda arriving 1 June . " Ranger " spent the rest of the summer engaged in operations off the west coast , departing for her sixth WestPac cruise in late October 1970 . On 10 March 1971 , " Ranger " , along with " Kitty Hawk " ( CV - 63 ) , set a record of 233 strike sorties for one day in action against North Vietnam . During April , the three carriers assigned to Task Force 77 – " Ranger " , " Kitty Hawk " , and " Hancock " – provided a constant two - carrier posture on Yankee Station . Hours of employment remained unchanged with one carrier on daylight hours and one on the noon to midnight schedule . Strike emphasis was placed on the interdiction of major Laotian entry corridors to South Vietnam . She returned to Alameda 7 June 1971 and remained in port for the rest of 1971 and the first five months of 1972 undergoing regular overhaul . On 27 May 1972 she returned to West Coast operation until 16 November , when she embarked upon her seventh WestPac deployment , which had been delayed four months after Navy fireman E - 3 Patrick Chenoweth dropped a heavy paint scraper into a main reduction gear , destroying one of the engines . Chenoweth was charged with " sabotage in time of war " , a capital offense , but was acquitted by a general court - martial . On 18 December 1972 Linebacker II operations were initiated when negotiations in the Paris peace talks stalemated . Participating carriers were " Ranger " , " Enterprise " ( CVN - 65 ) , " Saratoga " ( CV - 60 ) , " Oriskany " ( CV - 34 ) , and " America " ( CV - 66 ) . The Linebacker II operations ended on 29 December when the North Vietnamese returned to the peace table . These operations involved the resumed bombing of North Vietnam above the 20th parallel and was an intensified version of Operation Linebacker . The reseeding of the mine fields was resumed and concentrated strikes were carried out against surface - to - air missile and antiaircraft artillery sites , enemy army barracks , petroleum storage areas , Haiphong naval and shipyard areas , and railroad and truck stations . Navy tactical air attack sorties under Linebacker II were centered in the coastal areas around Hanoi and Haiphong . There were 505 Navy sorties in this area during Linebacker II . Between 18 and 22 December the Navy conducted 119 Linebacker II strikes in North Vietnam . Bad weather was the main limiting factor on the number of tactical air strikes flown during Linebacker II . On 27 January 1973 , the Vietnam cease - fire , announced four days earlier , came into effect and " Oriskany " , " America " , " Enterprise " , and " Ranger " , on Yankee Station , cancelled all combat sorties into North and South Vietnam . " Ranger " returned to Alameda in August 1973 and remained in that area through 7 May 1974 when she deployed again to the western Pacific . During this cruise , " Ranger " was again deployed to Yankee Station to participate in operations significant to the withdrawal of forces involved there . She returned to homeport on 18 October . On 28 May 1976 , while on deployment , helicopter crews from HS - 4 aboard " Ranger " , detachments from HC - 3 on " Camden " ( AOE - 2 ) , " Mars " ( AFS - 1 ) and " White Plains " ( AFS - 4 ) , and helicopters from NAS Cubi Point , Republic of the Philippines , assisted in Philippine disaster relief efforts in the flood ravaged areas of central Luzon . Over 1 , 900 people were evacuated ; more than 370 , 000 pounds of relief supplies and 9 , 340 gallons of fuel were provided by Navy and Air Force helicopters . On 12 July 1976 , " Ranger " and her escort ships of Task Force 77 . 7 entered the Indian Ocean and were assigned to operate off the coast of Kenya in response to a threat of military action in Kenya by Uganda n forces . In February 1977 " Ranger " departed Naval Air Station North Island for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard , Bremerton , Washington for major overhaul . While in overhaul she received significant technological upgrades to her Command Information Systems , flight deck gear , and was fitted with Sea Sparrow missile defense systems . Additionally , the main machinery spaces were refitted with more reliable " General Regulator " forced balance automatic boiler and combustion control systems . In March 1978 the overhaul was completed and she began several months of shake down cruises and sea trials for re - certifications . On 21 February 1979 , the " Ranger " deployed for her 14th WestPac cruise . Tentatively scheduled to cross the Indian Ocean to present a show of force during the strife between North and South Yemen , a mission she would not complete . On 5 April 1979 , she collided with the tanker " Liberian Fortune " just south east of Singapore while entering the Straits of Malacca . While the large oil tanker was severely damaged , the " Ranger " endured a significant gash in her bow , rendering two fuel tanks unusable . Details of the collision and damage photos are seen here http : / / terpconnect . umd . edu / ~ pbushmil / atomized _ jr / 2009 / 04 / 07 . html . The " Ranger " turned back to Subic Bay , Philippines , for temporary repairs and then to Yokosuka , Japan , for full repair . 1980s . In 1981 Capt . Dan A . Pederson was given a non - punitive letter of censure by Vice Adm . Robert F . Schoultz , commander of the Naval Air Force , United States Pacific Fleet , ( COMNAVAIRPAC ) , after a three - week investigation into the 14 April 1981 death of Airman Paul Trerice , 20 years old , of Algonac , Mich . Airman Trerice had died after being on a bread - and - water diet for three days , then taking part in punitive exercises in the correctional custody unit ( CCU ) . The ship was just completing a successful WestPAC / Indian Ocean deployment and was at Subic Bay in the Philippines at the time . " Ranger " entered the history books on 21 March 1983 when an all - woman flight crew flying a C - 1A Trader from VRC - 40 " Truckin ' Traders " landed aboard the carrier . The aircraft was commanded by Lt . Elizabeth M . Toedt and the crew included Lt . ( j . g . ) Cheryl A . Martin , Aviation Machinist ' s Mate 3rd Class Gina Greterman and Aviation Machinist ' s Mate Airman Robin Banks . Later that year , at 0910 on 1 November 1983 a fire broke out in 4 Main Machinery Room due to a fuel spill during fuel transfer operations while the " Ranger " was deployed in the Indian Ocean , east of Oman . Six crewmen were killed as a result of the fire , which knocked out one of the ship ' s four engines and disabled one of her four shafts < / ref - editor was present as LPO of MMR2 / wc EB02 > . The fire spread to the adjacent No . 2 Auxiliary Machinery Room and minor surrounding spaces . Flight operations had not yet commenced when the ship went to general quarters , so no aircraft were yet in the air . This was fortunate because the ship was then out of range of land . She returned to the Philippines after 121 consecutive days at sea . In early 1985 , some filming of the movie " Top Gun " took place on board the Ranger . In 1986 filming of the film " " took place on board the Ranger , in port , with lights and canopies set up to mimic the " Enterprise " . The Marine Detachment provided personnel to chase the actors around the ship and the G2 Division ' s officer gets about a three - second spot after Chekov was captured . Filming took about a week . 14 July 1987 marked the start of the Ranger ' s " Pearl " Anniversary Cruise . During this cruise the Ranger relieved the Midway and her Carrier Group in the Indian Ocean . It was during this period that Ranger took part in Operation Earnest Will under which the Kuwait tankers were re - flagged under US Colors . On 24 July 1987 , Tactical Electronics Warfare Squadron 131 ( VAQ 131 ) began the first Pacific Fleet deployment of the EA - 6B Prowler equipped with AGM - 88 HARM missiles , deployed in " Ranger " . On 19 October 1987 , Ranger took part in Operation Nimble Archer , an attack on two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf by United States Navy forces . The attack was a response to Iran ' s missile attack three days earlier on the MV " Sea Isle City " , a reflagged Kuwaiti oil tanker at anchor off Kuwait . The action occurred during Operation Earnest Will , the effort to protect Kuwaiti shipping amid the Iran - Iraq War . Air cover was provided by , two F - 14 Tomcat fighters and an E - 2 Hawkeye from . On 3 August 1989 , " Ranger " rescued 39 Vietnamese refugees , adrift for 10 days on a barge in heavy seas and monsoon rains in the South China Sea , about from NAS Cubi Point , R . P . SH - 3s Sea King s from HS - 14 assisted . An A - 6 Intruder from VA - 145 spotted the barge , which had apparently broken loose from its mooring near a small island off the coast of Vietnam with 10 men on board . Twenty - nine other refugees from a sinking refugee boat climbed aboard the barge when it drifted out to sea . After examination by medical personnel , all were flown to NAS Cubi Point for further processing . 1990s . President George H . W . Bush addressed the nation on 16 January 1991 at 9 pm EST and announced that Operation Desert Storm , had begun . The Navy launched 228 sorties from " Ranger " and in the Persian Gulf , from en route to the Persian Gulf , and from , " Saratoga " , and " America " in the Red Sea . In addition , the Navy launched more than 100 Tomahawk missile s from nine ships in the Mediterranean Sea , the Red Sea , and the Persian Gulf . An A - 6E Intruder from " Ranger " was shot down two miles off the Iraqi coast by anti - aircraft artillery on 18 January 1991 , after laying MK36 naval mines on a waterway linking the Iraqi naval base of Umm Qasr with the Persian Gulf . The pilot , Lieutenant William Thomas Costen and the navigator / bombardier , Lieutenant Charlie Turner , were killed . On 26 January , an A - 6B Prowler from " Ranger " spotted two large tankers in a waterway northeast of Bubiyan Island . A package of two " Ranger " ´s A - 6Es hit one of them with an AGM - 123 Skipper missile on the starboard side . On 6 February , an F - 14A Tomcat from VF - 1 , off " Ranger " , piloted by Lt . Stuart Broce , with Cmdr . Ron McElraft as Radar Intercept Officer , downed an Iraqi Mi - 8 Hip helicopter with an AIM - 9M Sidewinder missile . At 9 pm EST on 27 February , President Bush declared Kuwait had been liberated and Operation Desert Storm would end at midnight . On 21 April 1992 , in harmony with other World War II 50th Anniversary festivities , " Ranger " participated in the commemorative re - enactment of the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo , Japan . Two World War II - era B - 25 bombers were craned on board and over 1 , 500 guests ( including national , local and military media ) were embarked to witness the two vintage warbirds thunder down " Ranger ' s " flight deck and take off . In June , " Ranger " made an historic port visit to Vancouver , British Columbia in conjunction with her final phase of pre - deployment workups . Fully combat ready , " Ranger " began her 21st and final western Pacific and Indian Ocean deployment on 1 August 1992 . On 18 August , she entered Yokosuka , Japan , for a six - day port visit and upkeep . " Ranger " entered the Persian Gulf on 14 September by transiting the Straits of Hormuz . The next day , Ranger relieved " Independence " ( CV - 62 ) in an unusual close aboard ceremony and along with her embarked Air Wing , Carrier Air Wing 2 , immediately began flying patrol missions in support of the United Kingdom and United States ' declared " No Fly " zone in southern Iraq : Operation Southern Watch . While in the Persian Gulf , former Cold War adversaries became at - sea partners as " Ranger " , British , and French naval forces joined with the Russian guided missile destroyer " Admiral Vinogradov " for an exercise involving communication , maneuvering and signaling drills . During joint operations , a Russian Kamov Ka - 27 " Helix " helicopter landed aboard " Ranger " . It was the first such landing on a U . S . Navy aircraft carrier . " Ranger " left the Persian Gulf on 4 December 1992 and steamed at high speed to the coast of Somalia . " Ranger " played a significant role in the massive relief effort for starving Somalis in Operation Restore Hope . The " Ranger " / CVW - 2 team provided photo and visual reconnaissance , airborne air traffic control , logistics support and on - call close air support for Navy and Marine amphibious forces . Throughout Operations Southern Watch and Restore Hope , " Ranger " took 63 digital photograph s which were sent by International Marine Satellite to the Navy Office of Information within hours of being taken . This was the first time digital pictures were successfully transmitted from a ship at sea . On 19 December 1992 , " Ranger " was relieved on station by " Kitty Hawk " and began her last journey homeward to San Diego . Decommissioning . Since the late 80 ' s defense cuts " Ranger " did not undergo the SLEP modernisation process as did her three sisters and the later Kitty Hawk class ships , and by the early 1990s her material condition was getting poor . Both the out - going Bush and in - coming Clinton Administrations recommended cuts to the defense budget and so the retirement of " Ranger " , along with her sisters " Forrestal " , and " Saratoga " was put forth . " Ranger " was decommissioned on 10 July 1993 after 36 years of service , and is at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility , Bremerton , Washington . This decommissioning came instead of a Service Life Extension Program ( SLEP ) refit scheduled for the same year . Such an extension would have extended to Ranger ' s life into 2002 , requiring a re - authorization in 1994 . In September 2010 , the not - for - profit USS Ranger Foundation submitted an application to Naval Sea Systems Command proposing the donation of " Ranger " for use as a museum ship and multi - purpose facility , to be located on the Columbia River at Chinook Landing Marine Park in Fairview , Oregon . However , in September 2012 , NAVSEA rejected the foundation ' s proposal , and redesignated the ship for scrapping .