High oblique aerial view of the Naval Air Station Alameda, looking west (vertical format), showing the airfield and aircraft carrier pier complex hosting Pacific based surface forces. The aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) is tied up to the left. The former Essex class anti-submarine carrier Hornet (CVS-12) is moored to the right. The Hornet has been deleted from the naval register and will soon be scrapped

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.