USS Ranger Foundation

There are currently 5 operating carrier museums; Intrepid and Yorktown on the East Coast, Lexington on the Gulf of Mexico, Midway and Hornet on the West Coast. These ships were all designed and constructed during World War II. If Saratoga is saved she will be located in Rhode Island. This will leave the Pacific Northwest as the logical place for Ranger providing carrier museums regionally located around the United States.

USS RANGER ONE STEP CLOSER TO HOME IN PORTLAND

Portland Oregon

The US Navy announced that the USS Ranger Foundation’s Phase I application for donation of the super-carrier ex-USS Ranger has been approved and moved the group into Phase two of the four-phase process.

Now the Work Begins!

The USS Ranger Museum is a privately funded project, with individual and corporate support, and therefore will not be utilizing City of Portland/Metro funding as a revenue base.

Phase two of the process has a 12 month timeline, during which the exact location of the museum complex will be finalized, environmental, marketing, business, neighborhood support and other studies will be completed and updated. Fund raising will increase, and national and international friends will be called upon to support the project.

The timing of this approval could not be better. At the completion of Phase three, the ship will be towed from its current home in Bremerton, Washington to Portland waters. When she arrives, she will bring much-needed jobs to the area, as there will be extensive work to prepare for opening as a museum including but not limited to: new HVAC, electrical, paint, retrofitting for ADA requirements, mooring support at pier or dock facilities, parking areas, onboard cafes and restaurants, a ship’s store, the design and implementation of the educational components, the design of the military memorial and much more. Local workers can do all this. A long-term project, this will continue to provide good jobs to the area for years. During Phase two of the process, local design firms, environmental consultants, maritime consultants and many others will be employed.

Once open in her new role, the ship will have one of the largest event/conference areas in the area and will attract not only tourists traveling to visit the largest floating museum in the world, but corporate groups looking to hosting their next conference in a unique location. Local veteran organizations will have a permanent home and can make use of the ship for their meetings and events. A destination like this is a must for reunion associations of all sizes and interests. Local youth groups can have an “on-board” experience by staying overnight in the ship’s quarters; schools can utilize the ship’s educational components with classes held aboard in classrooms and shops.

During the aftermath of 9-11, the carrier museum Intrepid was activated as a command center in New York Harbor allowing communication, coordination and even helicopter operations.  Ranger could be used in the same manner for emergency situations, natural as well as man-made. Movie companies have used the Ranger many times including “Top Gun”, and could bring more film opportunities to the Metro area.

We are looking forward to partnering with other local tourist attractions to attract larger groups adding much needed tourists’ dollars to the economy. There are five existing carrier museums spread out around the country. None of them rely on tax dollars to operate. The Pacific Northwest would be well served by Ranger and will be a great addition to the community.

Now is the time to support the USS Ranger Foundation and help bring Ranger to Portland.  Please do your part to ensure this magnificent ship and the history she represents will be preserved on behalf of her super-carrier sisters, some of which are or will be sunk or scrapped. We won’t succeed without your support.

You can help:

• Letters of support for the project from everyone who wants to see this historic ship saved and who wants to see it in Portland, Oregon.  Please send your letter of support to the Foundation office or email it to rangerinfo@ussranger.org.
• $250,000 to fund the studies needed for Phase II of the application. Every dollar counts, please help us reach our goal.

Help Bring Ranger to Portland