Red Sea....A front view of a Fighter Squadron 32 (VF-32) F-14A Tomcat aircraft in flight on a combat air patrol following the cease-fire between coalition and Iraqi forces. The aircraft is carrying an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile on the outer part of each wing pylon and an AIM-7 Sparrow missile on the inner part of each pylon. VF-32 is based aboard the aircraft carrier USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV-67), which is operating in the Red Sea

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.