Ranger (CVA 61) - Naval Cruise Book

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The preceding Rangers were all, as has been indicated, good ships and true .. . and the newest of the long line of U.S.S. Rangers is certainly bent on following in the family tradition. Ranger VIII was born at the shipyards in Newport News, Virginia more than 20 years ago. She is one of the Forrestal class of super- carriers, which were created in order to meet the expanding needs of the U.S. Navy's modern aircraft. Ranger VIII, CVA-61, is quite a massive ship . . . an epic poem told in welded steel and haze- gray paint she chronicles what has been learned from 200 years of United States fighting ships She has travelled much since her launching in 1956 and she inspires awe and respect among those who have viewed her mighty form Among those who have visited Ranger VIII through the his USO troupe General Westmoreland former Philippine President Garcia several members of the Japanese Royal Family and many high ranking officers from other nations In her initial peacetime cruises, first in the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, and then in the Bay Area and onward to WestPac, she also has been toured by thousands of children, all of whom seemed enthralled by the experience of seeing this floating Ranger City. eRanger's initial cruises to WestPac were during the early l960's, and as is the case with almost any new warship, she spent a good deal of the time as a sort of showboat of American strength and support for the nations of the South East Asian Treaty Organization. And when trouble threatened in the ,area Ranger was on hand to help patrol the Taiwanese coastline thus helping to avert open warfare between Taiwan and Mainland China After this flare up Ranger VIII continued to perform her usual peacetime duties as well as visiting such ports as Pearl Sasebo and Yokosuka These locales were new to some of the men and familiar to others places where Navy men have gathered since the United States began operating in Pacific v -ll' 1579+ , 'n 'A .J- 3 .PP f' ww f -u ,. , M V, Q, , J '-.n , . ri ai Kangrfr ww , D vi waters. The environment was A nearly idyllic for Ranger's crew.. . N And then, in 1964, Ranger went to war and the routine became much different. Wartime service at sea is like no other experience .. . it is at composed of long hours of labor E with very little sleep in between fa jobs, day after day with no land r in sight, and the constant noise of hundreds of aircraft launches and recoveries per day. , , Yet, despite the hardships of war, Ranger's crews always came through . thus it was ' that Ranger earned her nick--f -A I 4. n,' name of Top Gun of Pacific Fleet during her 19655 deployment During Ranger VIII s t deployment to WestPac, she a'Tso showed how readv ship and crew could be for extensrve acfxt. 1 and she was ursefwaf the factors w ich mfaqtle is-H4 X, ,Nh Honor or than. ji t Pri has always b 1 a family tradition vi ith Rangers in Q, the Navy steepeu tory 1 w 1' flakes newest Ranger tri.. 3 1 olgf H J Bar None ,GM -o ' I i ' ' sa - t':f.,',5' X . . . . . .i . I. df 1.31.1 W X D M' ,453- . , . . . , V . P . ffm-Y. Y X ' ' ' n m' -:gg . :yr ea. years have been Bob Hope and Harbor, Subic Bay, Hong Kong, campaign proniise. I 'fy Q .. I ! . V ml '- ff., I. R,-gn ' V' ' v y . . . D 1 ' in . R E ' .v Y , , l n his ' K3 I. lin? fl' - , Ml!-aura gs, . Mft - 4.5 ' '

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' 2 iff si 1'- S-.. F5 FX? JW V J ,ff ff l K . T X X a Z A fr? K my N ' KN f rye, 'i 'VT 'f1-- A As far back in time as when man first looked upon the sea as a sort of highway instead of a barrier, that is when the experience began. A sea drama still alive and teeming with the spirit, excitement, fear, and apprehension that the first seafarer had when he first set a course on unexplored waters. Sea use is not a recent discovery. Ocean travel dates back as early as Egypt in 4,000 B.C. when it is estimated that the first sea vessel may have been constructed. Early forms of sailing were as primitive and simple as having reeds latched together in the l 3 X X ff X 1 Z ' X -:fda-:f f i S 51- xi EGYPTIAN PAPYRU DHOW C 3500 BC .A ,f K -Z' X v W S'-,Y I ::.f f ff l I' i I 'ali ' , lim - ' f 'e'.' X I A X I c FS if ix.: , I X is! Xxx' s- x X fb .eh - N, - ' . 'I 1 ?ff - Q ,4..- K . ',..- V v 1 f - , Xxx... -fe e-,.- iffge, f X , Q csgx Q, giqzrffi' 7 -1,12 K! ' x X si fx ' ' f 'Tlf ,. -. ,df xr :sf : F--' 1. ,U f N- NQ-- ,,f.3e1-:q,f ,',-- , , - 1 , X K ij: : . ' a r, 'N' L-1. V -i . ,,.... 'i N 1 of ' . 4 . i ' .X l.S - ,, I ff' W Q-Sf: fff -efx fx S fffff form of a raft. As years passed, there were no remarkable improvements in the contruction of sea vessels up to the advent of the seafaring Grecian and Phoenician dynasties. Combining their scienctific knowledge with what they knew of the sea, the Greeks and Phoenicians experimented and improved upon the earlier modes of sea travel to produce more capable sea craft. These newer, more tightly constructed wooden vessels were more able to survive the powerful currents, storms and other forces of the sea. ' ' 'ht ,N. f 1,- ':-' fl by, ,I X. ,' ' 4 VA 1 'Z