A view from onboard the US Navy (USN) NIMITZ CLASS: Aircraft Carrier, USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70) showing the Superstructure (Island), with fog lights illuminated, also the ships Integrated Landing System Elevation Transmitter Tower and Air Search Radar, visible to the right

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.