President William Jefferson Clinton waves to the audience after addressing sailors and civilians on base closure issues during his visit to the air station. Clinton will also visit to the air station. Clinton will also visit sailors on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70) and the nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser USS ARKANSAS (CGN 41)

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.