USS Ranger was laid down as a Forrestal-class aircraft carrier. Her two older sisters Forrestal and Saratoga were originally designed as axial deck (straight deck) carriers. But, thanks to the successful British “angle deck” configuration, both sister carriers were changed to angle deck carriers during their construction. Ranger was the first American aircraft carrier designed as an angle deck carrier from the keel up.
Ranger was commissioned on August 10, 1957, and joined the Atlantic Fleet in October of the same year. She spent the remainder of 1957 and part of 1958 in final acceptance trials.
