Onboard the US Navy (USN) Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier, USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69), a (green shirt) Catapult Crew Member holds up a weight board to the pilot of USN EA-6B Prowler aircraft assigned to the Patriots of Electronic Attack Squadron 140 (VAQ-140), during flight operation on deck. The EISENHOWER and embarked Carrier Air Wing 7 (CVW-7) are currently underway conducting their Composite Training Unit Exercise, in the Atlantic Ocean

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.