Ranger
Also called: 突击者 Beta- Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull
- Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella
- Avoid: Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill
On this page
Ranger Community Stats
Across 10,000+ Standard battles from 320+ players, Ranger averages a 59% win rate, 50,000 damage and 1.0 kills per battle, and survives 59% of them.
Ranger Community Stats
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Ranger Community Stats
Record History
Playstyle
Overview
Ranger is the Tier V American bomber carrier. Her damage comes from HE dive bombs hitting for up to 4,600 per drop, plus the fires they start, so match impact builds from repeated strikes rather than one decisive torpedo drop. HE ignores armor angle, so unlike an AP-bomb carrier she does not need a broadside to profit and can work an angled or bow-in target. Air torpedoes are a secondary option. AA (587 AA DPS at 4.2 km) is heavy enough to make her the team's air-defense anchor; CV strikes route around her, not through. Standout traits: best high HP pool in T5 CVs (44,900 HP, 1st of 8). Each squadron flies 9 planes and they come back 32 s apiece, so losing a full wave costs 288 seconds of reserves.
Positioning
Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull. Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella, not over open water where intercepting fighters can finish off limping squadrons. Longer trip back, fewer waves per match. You are spotted at 13 km and run at 29.5 kn, so that distance plus your speed is the whole margin for noticing a DD has slipped past and getting out. A 1,010 m turning circle is wide for her cohort, so a committed turn gives up a lot of water; plan course changes a salvo ahead.
Potato Avoidance
Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill
Match impact comes from cycling waves across multiple targets, not committing a dive into layered AA for one battleship. When a target's AA is heavy, route around and find a softer pick rather than burning planes through the wall. Reserves refill in 32 s per aircraft at best, the quickest in the cohort, so you can spend planes others cannot - but your thinnest-skinned squadron flies at 1,700 HP and decides how much of each wave comes home.
Signature Traits
44900 HP, best of T5 CVs.
- Top-tier AA · 587 AA
- AA specialist
- Burny secondaries · 9%
- Punch-through secondaries · 21 mm
22500 HP flight deck, best of T5 CVs. Survives AP and HE pressure that peers can't.
13 km surface detect, bottom quartile of T5 CVs. Visible before you can react; position early.
~13.9 s from a stop to 12 kt, worst of T5 CVs. Sluggish rebuild after a turn or a stop, so a full stop or a hard turn leaves it exposed for longer.
How to get Ranger
Ranger is available in the Bomber Carriers branch of the U.S. Tech Tree for 6,400,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 1,290,000 credits.
While you save up, check active promo codes for free doubloons, camouflages, and other rewards.
Show U.S.A. tech-tree branch diagram
Ranger sits in the Bomber Carriers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full U.S. tree.
U.S. aircraft carriers are all-rounders, effective with both dive bombers and torpedo bombers. However, they have a bias toward their powerful high-explosive bombs over torpedoes.
- Advantages
- Powerful HE dive bombers, Large hangars
- Disadvantages
- Poor torpedo performance
Builds
Pair with a commander whose unique skill complements her main armament; check the build tool for current recommendations.
Have a build you swear by? Open it in the Build Tool and hit Save build to share it here, or browse the Ship Builds guide for proven loadouts across the fleet.
Cohort position
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Where Ranger sits among Tier V CVs (7 ships). Notable standouts are shown first; the rest of the cohort-ranked stats are in the expand below. Acquisition variants (Black Friday, Founders Edition) are counted once with their base ship, not as separate peers.
See 19 mid-pack stats
Not standouts for Ranger -- here's where she sits on every other ranked stat in the cohort. Stats tagged NORM are tied across more than half the cohort, so the value is the cohort default rather than a standout.
Peers in this cohort
Compare Tier V Aircraft CarriersStats & specs
Customize in the Build Tool →ƒ
Initial: 2 planes per drop x 3 bombs each = 6 → 3 planes per drop x 3 bombs each = 9.ƒ
Initial: 6 bombs x 4,600 alpha = 27,600 → 9 bombs x 4,600 alpha = 41,400. If every bomb hits. Before armor, saturation and the target's damage reduction; a real drop lands a share of it.ƒ
2 planes per drop x 1 torpedo each = 2.ƒ
Initial: 2 torpedoes x 5,267 alpha = 10,534 → 2 torpedoes x 5,500 alpha = 11,000. If every torpedo hits. Before armor, saturation and the target's damage reduction; a real drop lands a share of it.ƒ
Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.1 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.ƒ
Dual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.ƒ
Effective DPS in in-game units (raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, summed per contributing aura) - matches the Close-range AA DPS headline's currency. Includes 88 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.ƒ
Effective DPS: 42 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 147 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Far 88 + Medium 147 = 235ƒ
Effective DPS: 106 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.95 hit probability = 352 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Far 88 + Medium 147 + Near 352 = 587ƒ
Each ~2 s salvo fires 2 AA explosions in quick succession, each leaving 2 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 1 stray cloud farther out that appear off-beat between salvos - up to 5 clouds per salvo × 190 damage each. Planes that fly into a cloud take its damage; clouds dissipate before the next salvo lands. Defensive AA Fire, where fitted, multiplies the AA explosions within each salvo, and commander skills that raise the Number of AA explosions add to it.ƒ
Damage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.ƒ
Every potential cloud spawns - the full pattern, every salvo. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.ƒ
A new flak salvo (the AA explosions above) fires roughly every 2 s.ƒ
Flak keeps firing while at least one secondary battery mount is operational - even losing every dedicated AA mount does not stop it.ƒ
The activation band: flak fires while attacking planes are inside it. Clouds are placed ahead of the planes' path, so clouds can land short of 2.5 km or past 4.2 km - once planes get inside the band, new salvos stop. AA range bonuses push the outer edge out; the 2.5 km inner edge does not move.ƒ
Sum across all secondary families of (per-side barrels × 60 / reload_s × alpha), with each reload counted in whole 1/7 s ticks (guns fire on the first tick after the reload), where per-side barrels = mounts × barrels-per-mount / 2 (the guns that bear on one broadside target). Per-family: 8×1 127 mm (4/side) × 60/4.571 s (4.5 s = 32 ticks) × 1800 = 94,500. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).ƒ
Fires/min (per side) 4.7 × (1 − 0.233 fire resistance) × 60 s × 0.003 of max HP per second × 54,550 HP = 35,585. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.ƒ
Secondary DPM (per side) 94,500 + secondary fire DPM 35,585 = 130,085: shell damage plus fire damage against one T5 battleship, every shell hitting.ƒ
Dual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.ƒ
8×1 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 4.571 s (4.5 s = 32 ticks) × 0.09 (9% fire chance) = 4.7. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.ƒ
Max dispersion = range (km) × 45 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.ƒ
4.5 km × 45 + 30 = 232.5 m.ƒ
top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 29.5 / 4 + 4.9 = 12.3 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.ƒ
Seconds from top speed to a dead stop after ordering full reverse: reverse power winds in over the reverse spool-up while water drag does most of the braking, using the ship's own reverse-power ratio. The full curve is on the acceleration chart. Full reverse stops about a quarter faster than a plain Stop order from top speed.ƒ
Speed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse.ƒ
Time to reach 90% of top speed (26.6 kt of 29.5 kt).ƒ
Time to reach 99% of top speed (29.2 kt of 29.5 kt). 99% rather than 100% because true top speed is asymptotic (thrust meets drag), so the last fraction of a knot is never quite gained.ƒ
Base value, no camouflage. With a Grade IV permanent camo (or any disposable camo): 13.03 km x 0.955 = 12.44 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.ƒ
Detectability by sea 13.03 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 12.44 km.ƒ
Air detectability 9.12 km + gun-firing bloom 0 km = 9.12 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020.ƒ
Sea detectability 13.03 km + 2.0 km while burning = 15.03 km.ƒ
Air detectability 9.12 km + 3.0 km while burning = 12.12 km.
Automatic Damage Control Party∞ charges · 90 s reload · 60 s active
Automatic Fighter4 charges · 40 s reload · 150 s active · 5 km patrol radius ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000):
Under the hood
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All values are ship base stats with modifications and upgrade changes denoted inline.
The constants behind the formulas and the long tail: shell and dispersion inputs, fixed-range anchors, salvo math, layered AA. Click the formula chip on any row to see how it is calculated.
AA defense
Only families that reach 4.2 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 40mm Bofors Mk2 5x4 -> 147 DPS @ 3.5 km; 20mm Oerlikon MK4 47x1 -> 352 DPS @ 2 km; 5in25 Mk19 Mod6 8x1 -> 88 DPS @ 4.2 km.@ 4.2 km: 88 from one family; @ 3.5 km: 147 + 88 = 235; @ 2 km: 147 + 352 + 88 = 587. Cumulative AA DPS at each family range threshold. Inner ranges stack the outer families, so a target closing the distance hits stronger AA bubbles as it crosses each band.147 + 352 + 88 = 587 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).147 × 3.5 + 352 × 2 + 88 × 4.2 = 1588. SUM over AA auras of (aura DPS x aura range km). A plane crossing the AA bubble is exposed to each aura for a time proportional to that aura's range, so long-reach DPS is worth more than the same DPS in a short bubble. Units: DPS*km; used to rank overall AA threat across the cohort.Secondary battery firepower
The only family (127 mm): 1800. Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1800 from the 127 mm family.The only family (127 mm): 9%. Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 9% from the 127 mm family.The only family (127 mm): 21 mm. Maximum HE armor penetration across secondary HE families (caliber × 1/6 for most nations; 1/4 for German/UK BBs). Shells whose pen falls under a plate's armor thickness shatter for 0 hull damage though fire chance still applies. Best on this ship: 21 mm from the 127 mm family.Ship Charts
Background
The first U.S. aircraft carrier of special construction. The ship carried a large air group. The carrier's speed was quite high for her type. Her drawbacks included a lack of torpedo protection and impractical arrangement of aircraft elevators, which slowed down the handling of air groups.
Armor Beta
Hull HP 43,700 → 44,900 with hull upgrade, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds. HP caps are estimates.
Overmatched by 91+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.
Thin belt: battleship AP citadels straight through it broadside. Rely on angle, speed and concealment, never sit flat.
Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 23%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →
| Section | Plates | HP cap | Threats | Tactic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bow | 19 mm primary (range 16–30 mm) | ≈ 2,245 (~5% of HP) | Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+ | Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP. |
| Hull (midship) | 30 mm primary (range 19–51 mm) | ≈ 33,675 (~75% of HP) | Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 410mm30 mm: HE pens from 203mm+ | Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest. |
| Stern | 19 mm | ≈ 2,245 (~5% of HP) | Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+ | Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation. |
| Citadel | 51 mm primary (range 13–51 mm) | no cap | Citadel pen: full damageOver-pen: ×0.10 damage | Effectively no cap; citadel pool sits at ~165k HP on every ship. An AP citadel penetration deals the shell's full damage, the biggest single hit available; only over-penetrations are damped, to ×0.10. |
| Superstructure | 6 mm primary (range 6–51 mm) | no cap | Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage | Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage. HE-spam target, and the section saturates fast (often only a few thousand HP). |
Saturation cap = HP a section can absorb before further damage to it is reduced (the "bow-tank" effect). Citadel pool is ~165k on every ship (effectively no cap); damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead. Superstructure saturates fast but HE always pens regardless of the plate thickness. Rudder (and other module HPs) are a separate pool from ship HP: damaging a module doesn't drain ship HP. Incapacitated modules like the rudder and engine are restored by DCP, but secondary and AA mounts destroyed at 0 HP stay out for the rest of the battle.
Balance History
Balance updates affecting Ranger. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.
Ministry of Balance: Aerial Adjustments
- Torpedo bombers:
- Stock torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 30 to 39 s.
- Stock torpedo bomber base speed reduced from 111 to 105 kts.
- Upgraded torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 30 to 39 s.
- Upgraded torpedo bomber base speed reduced from 123 to 112 kts.
- Dive bombers:
- Stock dive bomber restoration time increased from 26 to 36 s.
- Stock dive bomber base speed reduced from 128 to 116 kts.
- Upgraded dive bomber restoration time increased from 24 to 32 s.
- Upgraded dive bomber base speed reduced from 128 to 116 kts.
Ministry of Balance: Carriers 2.0 – First Wave
- Stock Dive Bombers:
- Aiming speed increased (aiming circle shrinks faster).
- Aiming time reduced from 8 to 7 seconds.
- Dive bomber accuracy (likelihood of an individual bomb hitting the inner circle) increased from 25 to 50%.
- Bombs per aircraft increased from 1 to 3.
- Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 6 to 8.
- Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,500 to 1,700 (squadron HP reduced from 15,000 to 13,600).
- Base speed increased from 97 to 128 knots.
- Maximum flight range set to 33 kilometers.
- Now share the same bombs as upgraded dive bombers.
- Maximum hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 16.
- Starting hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 12.
- Aircraft restoration time reduced from 74 to 26 seconds.
- Upgraded Dive Bombers:
- Aiming speed increased (aiming circle shrinks faster).
- Aiming time reduced from 10 to 7 seconds.
- Bombs per aircraft increased from 1 to 3.
- Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 6 to 9.
- Number of attacking aircraft per strike increased from 2 to 3.
- Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,650 to 1,820 (squadron HP increased from 15,900 to 16,380).
- Base speed increased from 108 to 128 knots.
- Maximum flight range set to 34 kilometers.
- Bomb damage reduced from 15,200 to 4,600.
- HE bomb penetration reduced from 53.4 to 42.7 mm.
- Bomb fire-setting chances reduced from 52 to 24%.
- Bomb splash radius reduced.
- Maximum hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 18.
- Starting hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 14.
- Aircraft restoration time reduced from 56 to 24 seconds.
- Stock Torpedo Bombers:
- Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 6 to 8.
- Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,420 to 1,700 (squadron HP reduced from 14,520 to 13,600).
- Base speed increased from 90 to 111 knots.
- Maximum flight range set to 31 kilometers.
- Maximum hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 16.
- Starting hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 12.
- Aircraft restoration time reduced from 74 to 30 seconds.
- Upgraded Torpedo Bombers:
- Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 6 to 8.
- Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,525 to 1,800 (squadron HP reduced from 15,150 to 14,400).
- Base speed increased from 99 to 123 knots.
- Maximum flight range set to 32 kilometers.
- Maximum hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 16.
- Starting hangar aircraft increased from 10 to 12.
- Aircraft restoration time reduced from 74 to 30 seconds.
Ministry of Balance Reports: Carrier Changes
- This ship has had her ups and downs, and right now, she’s at the bottom of the damage board for Tier V carriers. We’ve decided to help her out with improvements to her torpedo aircraft:
- Stock torpedo damage increased from 6,033 to 6,367.
- Upgraded torpedo damage increased from 6,400 to 6,600.
- Upgraded torpedo arming time decreased from 3.66 to 3 seconds.
- Upgraded torpedo speed increased from 47 to 49 knots.
- Stock & upgraded torpedoes are more likely to disable modules.
Halloween Update: New Friends, Old Foes
- Surface detectability range changed from 12 to 13 km; air detectability range changed from 8.4 to 9.1 km.
- Stock dive bomber HP changed from 2,450 to 2,500; stock torpedo bomber HP changed from 2,350 to 2,420.
- Upgraded dive bomber HP changed from 2,600 to 2,650; upgraded torpedo bomber HP changed from 2,450 to 2,525.
Halloween Update: Double the Fun, Double the Trouble
- Detectability range by sea increased from 10 to 12 km.
- Detectability range by air increased from 7.7 to 8.4 km.
Skins & permanent camouflages
Every custom exterior Ranger can equip.
DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior
Primary official WG sources
Filtered to official World of Warships: Legends pages where this ship is a focus, reward, line member, or high-context variant mention.
