Squadron maintenance crewmen check over an F-14A Tomcat aircraft secured on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS SARATOGA (CV-60) during Operation Desert Shield. The aircraft is carrying AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, top, and AIM-7 Sparrow missiles on its wing pylons

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.