Lively Ghost

At 11 o'clock that night, a portentous hush settled on the German radio. Then came a flourish of trumpets, followed by the announcer's voice, vibrant with pride and triumph: "The Fuehrer's Headquarters. The German High Command announces: A sub marine commanded by Senior Lieutenant von Billow has sunk in the middle of the North Atlantic the American aircraft carrier Ranger, employed to guard Atlantic convoy routes. The Fuehrer has awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross [of the Iron Cross] to Lieutenant von Buelow, the 234th member of the German armed forces to receive the decoration." That announcement was made April 25, 1943. There must have been some mistake. Last week the Navy Department stated that, since that date, the planes of the Ranger have sunk 40,000 tons of German shipping.

The Ranger's greatest feat was to spearhead a British task force last October in a daring raid into Norwegian waters, well within range of German land-based bombers. In two attacks the carrier's planes sank four merchantmen, a tanker and an oil barge, damaged other ships and shot down a Junkers 88 and a Messerschmitt 115. The carrier was undamaged, lost only three planes. When she got back to port, British warcraft "cheered the ship" as she passed down the line, in a rare salute to a U.S. Navy ship and crew.

Barred from mentioning the Ranger's name at the time, U.S. newsmen wrote that the tribute had historical overtones.

Their reference was to John Paul Jones's U.S.S. Ranger which once made news (but got no cheers) in British waters.

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