A starboard bow view of the Italian aircraft carrier ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi (C-551) tied up at Mayport Naval Station during a port visit. The yard tug boat Chesaning (YTB-769) is tied up in the lower left corner of the photo

Aircraft carriers are warships that act as airbases for carrier-based aircraft. In the United States Navy, these consist of ships commissioned with hull classification symbols CV (aircraft carrier), CVA (attack aircraft carrier), CVB (large aircraft carrier), CVL (light aircraft carrier), CVN (aircraft carrier (nuclear propulsion) and CVAN (attack aircraft carrier (nuclear propulsion). The first aircraft carrier commissioned into the United States Navy was USS Langley (CV-1) on 20 March 1922.