USS Ranger ( CV - 4 ) USS " Ranger " ( CV - 4 ) was the first ship of the United States Navy to be designed and built from the keel up as an aircraft carrier . " Ranger " was a relatively small ship , closer in size and displacement to the first US carrier — — than later ships . An island superstructure was not included in the original design , but was added after completion . Of the eight pre - war US aircraft carriers CV - 1 through CV - 8 , " Ranger " was one of only three to survive World War II , the others being and . Deemed too slow for use with the Pacific Fleet ' s carrier task forces , the ship spent most of the war in the Atlantic Ocean . Construction . " Ranger " was laid down on 26 September 1931 by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co . , Newport News , Virginia , launched on 25 February 1933 , sponsored by Lou Henry Hoover ( the wife of the President of the United States ) , and commissioned at the Norfolk Navy Yard on 4 June 1934 , with Captain Arthur L . Bristol in command . Service history . Inter - war period . " Ranger " conducted her initial flight operations off the Virginia Capes on 21 June 1934 and departed Norfolk on 17 August for a shakedown training cruise that took her to Rio de Janeiro , Buenos Aires , and Montevideo . She returned to Norfolk on 4 October for operations off the Virginia Capes and two stints in dry dock for post trial repairs until 1 April 1935 , when she sailed for the Pacific . Transiting the Panama Canal on 7 April , she arrived in San Diego on the 15th . For nearly four years , she participated in fleet problem s reaching to Hawaii , the first - ever carrier cold weather test trials in Alaska , and in western seaboard operations that took her as far south as Callao , Peru , and as far north as Seattle , Washington . On 4 January 1939 , she departed San Diego for winter fleet operations in the Caribbean based at Guantánamo Bay , Cuba . She then steamed north to Norfolk , arriving on 20 April . " Ranger " cruised along the eastern seaboard out of Norfolk and into the Caribbean Sea . In the fall of 1939 , she commenced Neutrality Patrol operations , operating out of Bermuda along the trade routes of the middle Atlantic and up the eastern seaboard up to NS Argentia , Newfoundland . World War II . 1942 . In December 1941 , she was returning to Norfolk from an ocean patrol extending to Port of Spain , Trinidad and Tobago , when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor . Arriving in Norfolk on 8 December , she sailed on the 21st for patrol in the South Atlantic . She then entered the Norfolk Navy Yard for repairs on 21 March 1942 . " Ranger " was one of 14 ships to receive the early RCA CXAM - 1 radar . " Ranger " served as flagship of Rear Admiral A . B . Cook , Commander , Carriers , Atlantic Fleet — until 6 April 1942 , when he was relieved by Rear Admiral Ernest D . McWhorter , who also broke his flag in " Ranger " . Steaming to Naval Air Station Quonset Point , Rhode Island , " Ranger " loaded 68 Curtiss P - 40E s and put to sea on 22 April , launching the Army planes on 10 May to land at Accra , on the Gold Coast of Africa ( Ghana ) . She returned to Quonset Point on 28 May , made a patrol to Argentia , then steamed out of Newport on 1 July with another 72 Army P - 40s , which she launched off the coast of Africa for Accra on 19 July . Both groups of P - 40Es were " en route " to augment the American Volunteer Group Flying Tigers ( soon to be redesignated as the Army Air Forces ' 23rd Fighter Group ) in China , to replenish their losses as well as forming a second unit , the 51st Fighter Group . After calling at Trinidad , she returned to Norfolk for local battle practice until 1 October , then based her training at Bermuda , in the company of four new " Sangamon " - class escort carrier s : ships converted from oil tankers to increase U . S . air power in the Atlantic Ocean . As the largest carrier in the Atlantic Fleet , " Ranger " led the task force that comprised herself and the four escort carriers . These provided air superiority during the amphibious invasion of Vichy - ruled French Morocco and the resulting Naval Battle of Casablanca , beginning on 8 November . It was still dark at 06 : 15 that day , when " Ranger " — stationed northwest of Casablanca — began launching her aircraft to support the landings made at three points on the Atlantic coast of North Africa ( Operation Torch ) . Nine of her Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters attacked the Rabat and Rabat - Sale aerodromes , headquarters of the French air forces in Morocco . Without loss to themselves , they destroyed seven planes at one field , and fourteen bombers at the other . Another flight destroyed seven planes on the Port Lyautey field . Some of " Ranger " ' s planes strafed four French destroyer s in Casablanca Harbor , while others strafed and bombed nearby shore batteries . The carrier launched 496 combat sorties in the three - day operation . Her attack aircraft scored two direct bomb hits on the French destroyer leader " Albatros " , completely wrecking her forward half and causing 300 casualties . They also attacked the French cruiser as she sortied from Casablanca Harbor and dropped depth charge s within lethal distance of two submarine s . They knocked out coastal defense and anti - aircraft batteries , destroyed more than 70 enemy aircraft on the ground , and shot down 15 aircraft in aerial combat . However , 16 planes from " Ranger " were lost or damaged beyond repair . It was estimated that 21 enemy light tank s were immobilized and some 86 military vehicles destroyed – most of them troop - carrying trucks . Casablanca capitulated to the American forces on 11 November . " Ranger " departed from the Moroccan coast on 12 November , returning to Hampton Roads on 24 November and Norfolk on 14 December 1942 . 1943 . Following training in Chesapeake Bay , " Ranger " underwent an overhaul at the Norfolk Navy Yard from 16 December 1942 – 7 February 1943 . She next transported 75 P - 40L fighters of the Army Air Forces ' 58th Fighter Group to Africa , arriving at Casablanca on 23 February . Next , she patrolled and trained pilots along the New England coast steaming as far north as Halifax , Nova Scotia . Departing from Halifax on 11 August , she joined the British Home Fleet at Scapa Flow , Scotland on 19 August , with which she patrolled the approaches to the British Isles . " Ranger " departed from Scapa Flow with the Home Fleet on 2 October to attack German shipping in Norwegian waters ( Operation Leader ) . The objective of the force was the northern Norwegian port of Bodø . The task force reached launch position off Vestfjorden before dawn on 4 October completely undetected . At 06 : 18 , " Ranger " launched 20 SBD Dauntless dive bomber s and an escort of eight Wildcats . One division of dive bombers attacked the freighter " LaPlata " , while the rest continued north to attack a German ship convoy . The bombers severely damaged a tanker and a smaller troop transport . They also sank two of four small German merchant ships in the Bodø roadstead . A second attack group from " Ranger " — consisting of 10 Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bomber s and six Wildcats — destroyed a German freighter and a small coastal ship , and bombed a troop - laden transport . Three of the aircraft were lost to anti - aircraft fire . On the afternoon of 4 October , " Ranger " was located by three German aircraft ; her combat air patrol shot down two of the enemy planes and chased away the third . " Ranger " returned to Scapa Flow on 6 October . She patrolled with the British 2nd Battle Squadron in waters extending northwestward to Iceland , and then she departed from Hvalfjord on 26 November , arriving at Boston on 3 December . 1944 – 45 . On 3 January 1944 , " Ranger " became a training carrier out of Quonset Point , Rhode Island . This duty was interrupted on 20 April when she steamed to Staten Island , New York to take on 76 Lockheed P - 38 Lightning fighters — together with Army , Navy , and French Navy personnel — for transportation to Casablanca . Steaming out on 24 April , she arrived at Casablanca on 4 May . The new aircraft were replaced with damaged U . S . Army aircraft marked for repair in the U . S . , while military passengers were embarked for the return to New York City . Prior to her returning to the U . S . , Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Ernest King had planned to overhaul the carrier by lengthening the hull and installing new engines . " Ranger " had been designed in the late 1920s , and consequently was smaller , slower , less armored , and carried fewer aircraft and ammunition supplies than the rest of the U . S . carrier fleet . Admiral King favored having the conversions done , but his staff officers pointed out that the resources required to accomplish this would impact on the construction and repair of newer , larger , and more capable aircraft carriers . Based on this information , the full project was canceled . After arriving at New York Harbor on 16 May , " Ranger " entered the Norfolk Navy Yard to have her flight deck strengthened , new aircraft catapults installed , and radar equipment updated . This provided her with the capability of night fighter - interceptor training . On 11 July , she departed from Norfolk and headed for Panama . She transited the Panama Canal five days later , embarked several hundred U . S . Army passengers at Balboa , Panama , then sailed to San Diego , arriving there on 25 July . After embarking the men and aircraft of Night Fighting Squadron 102 and nearly 1 , 000 U . S . Marines , " Ranger " steamed for Hawaiian waters on 28 July , reaching Pearl Harbor on 3 August . During the next three months , " Ranger " conducted night carrier flight training operations out of Pearl Harbor . " Ranger " departed from Pearl Harbor on 13 October to train new naval pilots for combat duty . Operating out of San Diego under the Commander , Fleet Air , Alameda , California , " Ranger " continued training air groups and squadrons along the California coast throughout the remainder of the war . " Ranger " was the only pre - war U . S . carrier to have never engaged Japanese forces in battle . Final operations . Departing San Diego on 30 September 1945 , she embarked civilian and military passengers at Balboa and then steamed for New Orleans , Louisiana , arriving on 18 October . Following Navy Day celebrations there , she sailed on 30 October for brief operations at Pensacola , Florida . After calling at Norfolk , she entered the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 19 November for overhaul . She remained on the eastern seaboard until decommissioned at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard on 18 October 1946 . Struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 29 October , she was sold for scrap to Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , Chester , Pennsylvania on 31 January 1947 . Awards . For her service " Ranger " was awarded two Service star s and the following ribbons / awards . The 2 Service star s awarded to " Ranger " were awarded based on her participation in the operations detailed below .