Ship:Ranger
| Maximum Speed29.5 knot |
| Turning Circle Radius1010 m |
| Rudder Shift Time15.9 sec |
| Surface Detectability Range13.8 km |
| Air Detectability Range10 km |
Ranger — American Tier VI aircraft carrier.
USS Ranger was the first American ship designed and built as an aircraft carrier. The technical specifications called for an aircraft carrier with a smooth deck (no superstructure was planned initially), a speed of 32 knots, and a displacement of no more than 18,000 tons. USS Ranger carried an air group that was only slightly inferior in number to the air groups of her larger predecessors. Ranger continued her service until the end of the war in the Atlantic. She escorted the first Arctic convoys from America to Iceland and was subsequently used as an aircraft transport, facilitating the deployment of army units landing in Africa.
Modules
![]() | Speed (knot) | Average Damage per Second (HP/min) | Loadout | Hit Points (HP) | Research price (exp) | Purchase price ( | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F2A Buffalo | 149 | 1,270 | 0 | 300,000 | |||
| F4F Wildcat | 153 | 1,340 | 7,000 | 750,000 |
![]() | Maximum Torpedo Damage (HP) | Speed (knot) | Hit Points (HP) | Research price (exp) | Purchase price ( | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T4M | 5,567 | 101 | 1,630 | 0 | 300,000 | |
| TBD Devastator | 5,567 | 112 | 1,710 | 7,000 | 750,000 |
Compatible Upgrades
| Slot 1 |
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| Slot 2 |
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| Slot 3 |
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| Slot 4 |
Player Opinion
Performance
Warning. The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.
Ranger is the first taste of high-tier carrier play in the American carrier line. She is much faster than the Langley making positioning of the ship much easier. Also, it is the first time where players have access to the Fighter consumable that can provide anti-air support and limited spotting for the team.
Attack Aircraft:
Attack aircraft have a reasonable health pool that allows them to keep attacking enemy ships such as destroyers for a longer amount of time than other carrier's attack aircraft. Rockets are effective against destroyers and do reasonable damage, they can still be effective against cruisers but lack the ability to deal high damage against battleships.
Torpedo Bombers:
The stock torpedo bombers are extremely slow and almost exactly the same as the ones on Langley. Nevertheless, aerial torpedoes have markedly increased damage from the Langley (5567 vs 3500), allowing the player to enjoy a higher damage output than before. Once upgraded to the infamously slow TBD Devastators they get an additional attack run with a massive boost in speed and hit points. It is recommended to use these torpedo bombers against battleships because they are slow and players can easily practice their drops against these targets. However though using them against cruisers is not recommended as they will lose a lot of health during the attack run. Torpedoes require a large amount of lead in order to hit.
Dive Bombers:
HE bombs are highly effective against all ship types due to their high damage and fire chance, allowing her to create permanent fires on a ship if the target ship has used her 'Damage Control Party' during their first bombing run. Note that the bombs have a large aiming circle although it is considered small against battleships and carriers but feels big against cruisers and destroyers, so misses can happen even with perfect aiming. Nevertheless, players should start practicing dropping the HE bombs on destroyers as it becomes the cornerstone for success in battles.
Tips:
Positioning her is very important when using this ship because she has poor concealment and surprisingly her armor is extremely weak and can take a lot of citadel hits from enemy ships even from destroyer HE shells. For more information visit: {https://na.wows-numbers.com/ship/4183799792,Ranger/}
Pros:
- Best Attack Aircraft that are armed with high explosive rockets in her tier
- Largest Dive Bomber hanger in her tier
- Fastest Dive Bomber plane restoration in her tier
Cons:
- Slow planes with average health and restoration
- Only drops 3 High Explosive Bombs
- Only drops 2 torpedoes with average damage and low speed
- Very weak citadel and hull plating making her very easy to sink
- Arguably one of the weakest carriers at her tier
Research
- Upgrade to SB2U Vindicator (Dive Bombers) for extra 3 bombers and a 3rd bomb per attack run.
- Upgrade to TBD Devastator (Torpedo Bombers) for 1 extra attack run per squadron.
- Upgrade to F4F Wildcat (Rocket Attack Aircraft) for 4 more rockets per attack run
- Upgrade to Hull(B) for better AA and hitpoints of the CV itself
- Proceed to the Lexington
Optimal Configuration
Upgrades
The recommended upgrades for Ranger are as follows:
- Slot 1: Air Groups Modification 1

- Slot 2: Aircraft Engines Modification 1

- Slot 3: Aerial Torpedoes Modification 1

- Slot 4: Bombers Modification 1

Commander Skills
It is recommended to use Alexander Ovechkin for improved Survivability Expert.
Note: Hidden Menace states that your planes reach safe altitude at 50% lower height which is not true because your planes are still vulnerable to flak, therefore the skill is bugged and not recommended.
Consumables
The consumables available for the ship and each plane type are:
Ship
- Slot 1: Damage Control Party

- Slot 2: CAP Fighter
4
Attack Aircraft
- Slot 1: Engine Cooling
2 - Slot 2: Patrol Fighter
3
Torpedo Bombers
- Slot 1: Engine Cooling
2 - Slot 2: Patrol Fighter
3
Dive Bombers
- Slot 1: Engine Cooling
2 - Slot 2: Patrol Fighter
3
Signals
As a carrier, Ranger has no risk of detonating.
Note: Carriers burn at 1% health per a second while all other ships burn at 0.3% a second. So even though Carriers burn for only 5 seconds for each fire, if caught off of DCP, multiple fires can be set over and over again making a carrier lose more health to fires than any surface ship within a short duration.
Recommended Signal Flags
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Gallery
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Ranger with Type 1 camouflage.
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Ranger with Type 2 camouflage.
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Ranger with Type 5 camouflage.
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Ranger with Type 6 premium camouflage.
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Ranger with Type 17 permanent premium camouflage.
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Hull A
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Brewster F2a Buffalo Attack Aircraft
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T4M Torpedo Bomber
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SBC Helldiver Bombers
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Hull B
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F4F Wildcat Attack Aircraft
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TBD Devastator Torpedo Bombers
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SB2U Vindicator Bombers
Historical Info
Historical Gallery
References
Ship Change Log
| U.S.A. | IV Langley • VI Independence • VI Ranger • VIII Yorktown • VIII Lexington • VIII Enterprise |
| Japan | IV Hōshō • VI Ryūjō • VIII Shōkaku • VIII Kaga |
| Germany | IV Rhein • VI Weser • VI Erich Loewenhardt |
| U.S.S.R. | IV Komsomolets • VI Serov • VIII Pobeda • VIII Chkalov |
| Pan-Asia | VIII Sanzang |
| U.K. | IV Hermes • VI Furious • VI Ark Royal |
| Italy | VIII Aquila |
| France | VI Béarn |
| Pan-America | X Independencia |




















