The seventh USS Ranger (CVA-61) (later CV-61) was a United States Navy Forrestal-class supercarrier. She was the first aircraft carrier in the world to be laid down as an angled-deck ship.
General Characteristics
Service History
Built at Newport News Shipbuilding, Ranger joined the Atlantic Fleet in October 1957 and transferred to the Pacific Fleet at Alameda, California in August 1958. She made multiple Western Pacific deployments with the 7th Fleet, launching over 7,000 sorties in her first WestPac deployment alone.
Vietnam War
Ranger deployed to Southeast Asia multiple times during the Vietnam War. She and Carrier Air Wing 14 received the Navy Unit Commendation for exceptionally meritorious service during combat operations in Southeast Asia from January to August 1966. On her 1967 deployment, she was the first carrier to deploy with the new Corsair II jet attack plane and UH-2C Seasprite helicopter. On April 13, 1965, a fuel line broke and engulfed the No. 1 machinery room in flames, with one fatality.