Ranger (CV 61) - Naval Cruise Book

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THE Y RD In early October of 1966, the more acute natives of Bremerton, Wiashing- ton, sensed a new and disturbing in- truder in their midst. Occupying Dry- dock jj 6, the haze grey bulk of the USS Ranger stoically awaited internal sur- gery at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard bordering the town. Soon recovering from their awe, the 40,000 citizens of Bremerton,found themselves hard put to supply suflicient amusement for three thousand stalwart Rangermen who had just sufferred the privations of a Viet- nam cruise. Several local establish- ments tried manfully, nonetheless, and names like the Rendezvous, the Crows Nest, and the Roxy Theatre will live in Ranger hearts forever. Yet, despite their efforts, and the painful fact that many sailors were under twenty-one, most of the crew were driven either across the Sound to populous Seattle or to sitting near their windows, counting raindrops. Life aboard the ship, meanwhile, was less than idyllic. Yard workers, arrayed in highly original workclothes, scuttled around like ants over a cupcake, shut- ting off pipes leading to showers and clogging the, passageways with torn masses of wire or hose. The yardbirds themselves were often quite friendly, although they occasionally disappeared in mid-conversation when gilt is now whistle timew sounded over the TMC. Things were just a little bit grittier than usualmprobably from all that drilling and paint scrapping. You could get used to that. tl1ough...it was the clink of the chipping hammers. the whining of the sandblasters. and the chirring of the deck crawlers that really snarled nervous systems. D As the months drizzled by. however. a slight but notieible anticipation grew around the edges of peopleis minds. The Ranger was almost ready. J l

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TO S AGAI Now the Ranger was ready. Expensivex new equipment glowed from dark corners in CIC. Cool air swept through the pipes of the extended air conditioning system. New paint freshened every surface, within and without. Modernized evaporators promised clear rivers of water for every need. i On the thirtieth of May, the weather had softened to surprising sunshine. The dry dock had been left like a used cocoon in Feburary, and so the Ranger prepared to cast off from Pier 6B amid the scattered cheers of the occasional dependant who had come to witness the historical moment. ' First in 'order were the sea trials, carried on within the cozy confines of Puget Sound. After surviving a 30 degree turn at top speed, the Ranger went on for three days of muscle streaching in order open any hastily sewn seams. The anchors were tested, and, to no one's surprize, were found to be perfectly capable of anchoring the ship. Large yellow pontoons were sent hurtling a half mile into the water by the beefed up catapults. For the benifit of the radar, CVA 61 circled a radar buoy for twelve hours, creating a continuous port list. Finally leaving beloved Puget Sound, the Ranger steamed towards San Francisco. Somehow, a clearer sense of purpose had arrived on people's faces. No yardbirds, no grit, and comparative silence soothed those who had been jumpy for months. Now training and preparations could begin for the new cruise with refreshed energy. Few sights could have been as symbolically significant of the difference between San Francisco and Bremerton as the magnificent span of the Golden Gate Bridge. 0n hand to greet the ship was even less of a roaring crowd than had seen it off. A few lonely wives had flown down, and, of course, there was a laundry truck. Spirts were still high because...right there...gleaming across the Bay like the promised Land...was the New York of the West, the Jewel of California, the City of Saint F rancis...and further west, beyond that...was the intriguing future. ' 1