U.S. Navy Aviation Electronics Technician 3rd Class Phillip Hampton, assigned to the"Black Aces"of Strike Fighter Squadron 41 preps the canopy of an F/A-18F Super Hornet prior to flight operations on the flight deck aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS NIMITZ (CVN 68) off the coast of Calif., Oct. 27, 2006. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication SPECIALIST 3rd Class Jeremiah Sholtis) (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.