Not a bad design, although I would've liked to see her somehow incorporate Ranger's weird funnel arrangement.
Also, not as big, not as fast, and a bit lighter on the aircraft capacity than her Yorktown and Essex-class juniors - would that make Ranger a kind-of American ryuujou_(kantai_collection)?
Also would never serve in the Pacific War. She just did not have the extra weight capacity to carry the needed AA batteries to deal with the Japanese airpower.
In the Atlantic she could operate out of the range of the Luftwaffe for the most part, but just were can you serve in the Pacific that gets you out of the range of the Japanese Navy and Army? While also being useful as a fleet carrier (she was still designated as such).
All the other carriers served in the Pacific. Even Langley after she was converted into a Seaplane carrier (AV-3). But Ranger stayed in the Atlantic.
I wonder if the Japanese would consider her unlucky. CV-4 Much like the Americans would think USS Franklin was unlucky due to being CV-13.
(Edit: turns out she did serve in the Pacific in 1944 and 1945, but as the Night Training Carrier out of Pearl Harbor and San Diego. She was not considered capable enough to go into combat in the Pacific. Those she trained would likely go out to USS Enterprise and USS Saratoga, by then the fleet's Night Carriers.)
Not a bad design, although I would've liked to see her somehow incorporate Ranger's weird funnel arrangement.
Also, not as big, not as fast, and a bit lighter on the aircraft capacity than her Yorktown and Essex-class juniors - would that make Ranger a kind-of American ryuujou_(kantai_collection)?