USS Ranger spent extensive time supporting operations over Vietnam and working in the Gulf of Tonkin. The Forrestals kept their frontline aircraft-carrier role as they aged instead of shifting to amphibious or secondary duties. They served in that role from the late 1950s through the final years of the twentieth century. Those decades contained repeated high-tempo commitments for the US Navy and the United States.
Notable Point · 30:00-31:22
Ranger shows the class remained a frontline force
Ranger's Vietnam and Gulf of Tonkin service shows why the Forrestals remained first-line carriers as newer designs entered service.