An oblique aerial starboard bow view of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN-74) in dry dock #11 at the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Corporation Shipyard. The STENNIS is in dry dock for her post shakedown maintenance and inspection period

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.