A bow view of the aircraft carrier USS MIDWAY (CV-41) sailing in the wake of the battleship USS IOWA (BB-61). The frigate USS FRANCIS HAMMOND (FF-1067) is off the MIDWAY's port side

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.