US Navy (USN) AIRMAN (AN) (James Feltman charges a fire hose during a scrub down on the flight deck of the Aircraft Carrier USS KITTY HAWK (CV 63). The Scrub Exercises (SCRUBEX) are performed periodically on the flight deck and in the hangar bays to reduce hydraulic fluid, grease and dirt buildup, which present a hazard to aircraft and personnel

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.