A U.S. Navy Sailor embraces a loved one during the early morning hours before boarding the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76) for deployment at San Diego, on Jan. 27, 2007. The REAGAN and attached ships of the REAGAN Carrier Strike Group (CSG) surge deployed to the 7th Fleet area of operations from Naval Station North Island. (U.S. Navy PHOTO by Mass Communication SPECIALIST 2nd Class Dominique M. Lasco) (Released)

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.