A US Navy (USN) green shirt Catapult Crew Member watches as a F-14B Tomcat, assigned to the Jolly Rogers of Fighter Squadron One Zero Three (VF-103), launches from the flight deck of the Aircraft Carrier USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV 67). The KENNEDY and embarked CVW-17 are currently on deployment in the 5th Fleets Area Of Responsibility (AOR), in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM

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.