Customer Reviews

USS Ranger: The Navy's First Flattop from Keel to Mast, 1934-1946

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...1934 - 1946 is simply superb. This impressive and sizeable volume devotes as much text to the USN's first purpose built carrier as Norman Friedman devotes to the entire class in his excellent design history, "U.S. Aircraft Carriers." By his own admission, Mr. Cressman has written what is, in large measure, an operational history of Ranger, her crew and her air department at some expense to a definition of the genesis and design of the ship. Otherwise, there must be little in the career of this extraordinarily active vessel which escapes the author's account. In addition, the book is supplemented with over 250 pictures which depict every stage of Ranger's carreer with equal emphasis upon man, machine and event.

The reader is provided with a virtual who's who and what's what of early USN aviation and the development of the US naval air arm in the 1930's. Cheerfully welcomed by planners, officers and pilots alike, Ranger was instrumental in defining and developing doctrine which provided a basis and broad outline for the operational employment of aircraft carriers and aircraft in the coming war. The reader will find a virtual travelogue of naval aviation and experimentation which is lively by comparison with drier recitations found in more conventional histories. Especially emphasized are the operations of the various airgroups and individual aircraft which flew from Ranger's deck.

Ranger's wartime employment is not overlooked by any means. She was quite profitably employed in the Atlantic where she found herself opposed by Vichy and German forces alike. It is a great testimony to her crew and her air groups that so much was accomplished in North Africa and Norway against an often resourceful and enterprising foe. While scarcely on the scale of Pacific operations, Ranger nevertheless acquitted herself well and Cressman's narrative is both exciting and informative. Especially interesting are the numerous photographs found in this section showing air-to-air and air-to-surface action. Cressman's efforts in supplying his book with well-rounded and fresh photography is a particularly encouraging development challenging future historians to similar efforts at providing the reader with something more than the same stale stable of photography.

As noted above, this is no design history but Mr. Cressman does reveal the very serious shortcomings of Ranger and why she was never transferred to combat in the Pacific. While many wonder why, and others speculate that she would have fared well against the Japanese, Cressman's account spares little concerning Ranger's weaknesses. In short, the hostile environment of the Pacific in 1942 would have presented a distinct and serious threat to Ranger. Among other points, Ranger was hampered by elevator characteristics, a weak flight deck, vulnerable gasoline storage, a lack of stability, poor sea handling qualities and weak construction. As Admiral Gerald Bogan pointed out in reference to planned modifications, Ranger would probably be lost to a single torpedo hit and would likely have broken in two following a torpedo hit amidships. This was, as Cressman writes, "...a fact of life..." for Ranger and known throughout the Navy. In this regard, it is amazing how superior the following USS Wasp was on virtually the same tonnage.

By 1944 Ranger was relegated to duty as a training carrier but again she acquitted herself well. Eventually she would record over 92,000 landings, an impressive amount and testimony to the needs of the fleet she served so well. But with the arrival of massive wartime construction and post war cutbacks it was inevitable that the old warrior would head for the breakers. And there her career ended. Yet Robert Cressman has ably brought Ranger and her achievements back to life. As with all of Mr. Cressman's works this book is highly recommended for those who enjoy an authoritative and entertaining read. By all means purchase this book, you will not regret it.

While it fills a glaring hole in US carrier history, this book falls down on lack of detail on the ship itself. In the course of the text, things like hull strength and vulnerability to torpedo attacks are mentioned, no real detailed analysis is given of the ship as a design or how her shortcomings limited her to use in the Atlantic.

Sometimes the lack of detail screams. While much information on the planes and crew members participating in the Raid on Bodo is given, I could not find an actual list of what the airgroup accomplished? Were the ships hit actually sunk? What was the strategic response by the Germans?

Good naval books are either heavy on design and shipbuilding detail (Friedman's Design history books) or have a multiplicity of personal stories that flesh out an operational history (Musicant's history of the USS Washington). This book does neither- giving a rundown of air operations and, in my opinion, way too much detail on every little air op mishap that occured. Unfortunately we are unlikely to see another book on this unique ship, so the holes may stay unfilled.

This book is a must read for navy history buffs. I can't put the book down. Cressman's captivating writing style brings the ship alive. If I did not know any better, I would have thought that Cressman was embedded on the Ranger for the length of her entire career in the Navy.

This book should serve as the template for persons interested in writinga ship's history. If you like this book, you will also like his book on the USS Yorktown That Gallant Ship: U.S.S. Yorktown CV-5

Ranger was the first large, fast fleet carrier built as such by any navy (as opposed to being converted from an existing hull), and the impressive thing is how much her designers got right, despite the limitations on her size because of funding.

Unfortunately, Mr. Cressman does not really address how Ranger compared to her peers - or at least the other "keel-up" designs - in the IJN (Ryujo and Soryu) and RN (Hermes and Ark Royal); the book is lacking because of it.