





|
Date
| Event
|
2-Aug-1954
| Keel laid down for CVA-61, the 3rd Forrestal class aircraft carrier. Built at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock, the cost would be $181,600,000.
29-Sep-1956
| Christened by Mrs. Arthur W. Radford, wife of Chrm., JCS, CVA-61 is named USS Ranger after the 1777 Sloop-of-war first commanded by John Paul Jones.
10-Aug-1957
| Commissioned : Norfolk Naval Shipyard
10-Aug-1957
| Ship's patch insignia in color, THE GOLD BOOK 1985
10-Aug-1957
| NHKG, Ship signal flag and radio call sign, Gray Eagle, issued by Navy
10-Aug-1957
| New CO: Charles T. "Tommy" Booth, III, 1st CO Biography
10-Aug-1957
| Pawlowski, Garth L. FLAT-TOPS AND FLEDGLINGS, book, p363
10-Aug-1957
| Nickname : TOP GUN
10-Aug-1957
| Homeport : Norfolk to 20 June 58
4-Oct-1957 to 6-Dec-1957
| Shakedown cruise, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba area
14-Oct-1957
| 1st landing, TF-1 piloted by CAPT Charles T. Booth II. 1st cat same plane
6-Dec-1957
| Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 1st foreign port call
5-Mar-1958
| New CO: Paul E. Buie Biography
20-Jun-1958 to 20-Aug-1958
| 1st cruise. Cape Horn. Norfolk to Alameda
20-Jun-1958
| CVW-14 aboard. Tail code NK. CAG J.J. Davidson
20-Aug-1958
| USS RANGER 1957 - 1958 CRUISE BOOK, (1st cruise book)
20-Aug-1958
| Ports: Port of Spain, Rio., Callao, Valparaiso, Acapulco
20-Aug-1958
| Homeport : Alameda to 1975
10-Nov-1958
| Careless magazine explosion kills 2, off San Francisco
3-Jan-1959 to 27-Jul-1959
| 1st WestPac cruise. Formosa straits, Japan visit
3-Jan-1959
| CVW-14 embarked, Tail code NK
2-May-1959
| President Garcia of Philippines visits ship at Subic Bay
23-May-1959
| New CO: Noel A. Gayler Biography
19-Jun-1959
| Imperial Japanese Family visit ship at Yokosuka
5-Jul-1959
| China Extended Service Medal for Formosa Strait operation
5-Jul-1959 to 9-Jul-1959
| Deploys off Formosa to thwart Chinese attack
27-Jul-1959
| Port calls: Hong Kong, Taipei, Sasebo,Tokyo, Yokohama, Yokosuka
6-Feb-1960 to 30-Aug-1960
| 2nd WestPac cruise. 17,000 air wing flying hours
6-Feb-1960
| CVW-9 embarked, Tail code NG
?-Jun-1960 to ?-Jul-1960
| Port call: Hong Kong in June and July
4-Jun-1960
| New CO: Donald Gay, Jr. Biography
24-Jun-1960
| Quemoy & Matsu, Armed Forces Expeditionary, June 24-25
5-May-1961
| New CO: William N. Leonard Biography
11-Aug-1961 to 8-Mar-1962
| 3rd WestPac cruise
11-Aug-1961
| CVW-9 embarked, Tail code NG
7-May-1962
| New CO: George C. Duncan Biography
Oct-1962
| STORY OF A CARRIER PILOT sequences filmed. See 19-Oct-1962
19-Oct-1962
| Late catapult sends F4-B flying under Golden Gate Bridge.
9-Nov-1962 to 14-Jun-1963
| 4th WestPac. Okinawa, Hong Kong, Laos, Vietnam
9-Nov-1962
| CVW-9 embarked, Tail code NG
5-Mar-1963
| Yokosuka, Japan. Photo of F4, Phantom II catapulted while docked
5-Apr-1963
| Boiler uptake explosion while going between Japanese ports
1-May-1963 to 4-May-1963
| Deploys from Japan to South China Sea for Laos unrest ops
4-May-1963
| Armed Forces Expeditionary Service for Laos (S. China Sea)
16-May-1963
| Japanese American Society enjoys 1 day Yokosuka cruise
20-May-1963
| New CO: William E. Lemos Biography
7-Aug-1963 to 10-Feb-1964
| Larger flight deck during San Francisco NSY overhaul
28-May-1964
| New CO: Alton B. Grimes Biography
5-Aug-1964 to 6-May-1965
| 1st Vietnam war cruise. Record 59-day line duty
5-Aug-1964
| CVW-9 embarked, Tail code NG
?-Sep-1964
| Boiler explosion on Yankee Station. 51 days repair
19-Sep-1964
| Armed Forces Expeditionary Service for Vietnam operations.
Feb-1965
| 4 CVs mass in Operation Candid Camera off Vietnam; USS Hornet (CVS-10), USS Hancock (CVA-19), USS Coral Sea (CVA-43), USS Ranger (CVA-61).
Mar-1965
| Record 59 continuous days on Vietnam line station.
9-Mar-1965
| General William Westmoreland holds conference on ship.
13-Apr-1965
| A fire breaks out in #1MMR. There is one fatality, MM3 Chester Statun. (See logs)
6-May-1965
| 103 line days on 4 line periods with 3 planes lost in combat
6-May-1965
| Vietnam Service Medal awarded for combat ops off coast
10-May-1965
| New CO: Leo B. McCuddin Biography
13-May-1965 to 30-Sep-1965
| Major overhaul at San Francisco NSY
10-Dec-1965 to 25-Aug-1966
| 2nd Vietnam cruise. 1st Haiphong raid, 90,000 miles
10-Dec-1965
| CVW-14 embarked, Tail code NK
7-Jun-1966
| New CO: William M. Harnish Biography
6-Aug-1966
| Navy Unit Commendation for Vietnam duty from 10-Jan-1966
25-Aug-1966
| 137 line days on 5 line periods with 15 planes lost in combat
25-Aug-1966
| Vietnam Service Medal awarded for combat ops off coast
30-Sep-1966 to 31-May-1967
| Comprehensive overhaul on Puget Sound NSY
20-Oct-1966
| New CO: William T. Donnelly, Jr. Biography
0-Nov-1967
| CVW-2 , Carrier air wing assigned, Tail code NE
4-Nov-1967 to 25-May-1968
| 3rd Vietnam cruise. Korea coast patrol over USS Pueblo incident
Read ship's logs - November, December.
4-Nov-1967
| CVW-2 embarked, Tail code NE
4-Nov-1967
| Corsair II A-7A first major deployment by VA-147
3-Dec-1967 to 9-May-1968
| Meritorious Unit Commendation for Vietnam operations
21-Dec-1967
| Bob Hope's Christmas show entertains ship off Vietnam
23-Jan-1968
| Armed Forces Expeditionary Service for North Korea ops
23-Jan-1968
| Deploys to North Korea area after USS Pueblo capture
27-Mar-1968
| New CO: William H. Livingston Biography
5-May-1968
| Port call : Hong Kong prior to sailing home
25-May-1968
| 88 line days on 4 line periods with 4 planes lost in combat
25-May-1968
| Vietnam Service Medal awarded for combat ops off coast
26-Oct-1968
| Fiberglass horse used to "gallop" on deck at departure, William Tell Overture played
26-Oct-1968 to 17-May-1969
| 4th Vietnam cruise. EC-121 crisis near Korea, Yellow Sea
26-Oct-1968
| CVW-2 embarked, Tail code NE
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