A view of the front of an F-14 Tomcat aircraft with shark's teeth and eyes painted on it to symbolize Carrier Air Wing 15 (CVW-15), based aboard the aircraft carrier USS KITTY HAWK (CV-63). The F-14 is being used in exercise Gallant Eagle '82

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.