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USS Ranger CV-61

Length: 1,046 feet

Width: 130 feet across and 249.5 feet at extreme beam width

Average crew carried: 3,826

Cruising speed: 34 knots

History: The ship earned 13 battle stars for service in Vietnam; it also served during Operation Desert Storm. Movie credits include 鈥淭op Gun鈥� and 鈥淪tar Trek IV: The Voyage Home.鈥�

Source: USS Ranger Foundation

Few people would debate the merits of repurposing outdated buildings in the Portland-metropolitan area.

But one nonprofit group wants to take a step further and repurpose an old aircraft carrier to serve the community.

The group is working to bring the USS Ranger 鈥� a former naval ship that, at 1,046 feet, is longer than three football fields 鈥� to a mooring spot in Fairview. The USS Ranger Foundation is seeking donation of the ship by the U.S. Navy to not only convert the Ranger into the world’s largest floating museum, but also into community space, educational space and even an emergency preparedness center.

Since it was commissioned in 1957, the USS Ranger CV-61 has served in a war and been featured in movies. But the U.S. Navy has decided that the ship must be moved from its current location in Bremerton, Wash. If a new home can’t be found for the Ranger by 2015, the ship will be torn apart and the metal will be sold for salvage.

That’s where the , a nonprofit group based out of Gresham, comes into the picture.

鈥淭he fact of the matter is that this is in our control and we have the exclusive rights to the ship,鈥� said Lonnie Dicus, senior adviser for the foundation. 鈥淚f it doesn’t go to us, it gets cut up.鈥�

Other nonprofit organizations have completed similar projects around the country, though this would be the first one in the Pacific Northwest. The USS Midway in San Diego, which acts as a museum and memorial, attracts nearly a million visitors a year. The Intrepid, in New York City, has served as one of the city’s emergency response centers since the NYC Office of Emergency Management was displaced as a result of 9/11.

鈥淥ther projects on these ships tend to be museums and memorials,鈥� Dicus said. 鈥�(The Ranger project) would be much more.鈥�

The nonprofit is in the middle of the second step of a four-step process to acquire the ship. After narrowing down a location for the ship 鈥� the Chinook Landing Marine Park in Fairview 鈥� the group is now focused on raising money and securing the regulatory permits required for the project.

The group has cleared one hurdle already, by receiving confirmation from the Columbia River Pilots Association that it could safely move the ship up the Columbia River from the Pacific Ocean. Under ideal circumstances, the ship can make it up the river, the confirmation letter said, but the organization would need to work with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad to coordinate passage through the railroad bridge. Dicus said those discussions are under way.

The other major issue is raising money to pay for relocation of the ship.

鈥淭he foundation’s goal is (to raise) $15 million by opening in 2015,鈥� said Shannon Chisom, the USS Ranger Foundation’s development director who was brought on to lead the fundraising campaign.

Two years into its effort, the group has raised more than $600,000, according to Dicus. That amount is significantly greater than the $50,000 raised in the first year, he said.

鈥淣ext year is going to be real telling,鈥� Dicus said. 鈥淚f we’re going to be legit, we need to be over the $2 million or $3 million mark this time next year.鈥�

The group has 130 people involved in the effort and a lot of support from key decision makers. Resolutions of support were passed by seven nearby cities, including Portland; two counties; the state Senate and Metro. Also, letters of support were written by seven members of Congress, Gov. John Kitzhaber, five local business organizations and several veterans’ associations.

鈥淲e’ve built a very solid, very deep political base,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t’s now about the regulatory and approval process.鈥�

Consult Econ, a market research and project feasibility firm, has estimated that the project would create 536 jobs for the area and have an economic impact of $46.1 million annually. Read the .