A U.S. Navy HH-60H Seahawk helicopter from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Eight (HS-8) flies through a rainbow on its way back to the Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier USS JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN 74) during operations in the Pacific Ocean on Aug. 17, 2007. (U.S. Navy PHOTO by Mass Communication SPECIALIST 3rd Class Paul J. Perkins) (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.