The US Navy's nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS ENTERPRISE (CVN 65) refuels with the Arleigh Burke Class destroyer USS MITSCHER (DDG 57) during an underway replenishment operation in the North Atlantic. Enterprise is on her first scheduled forward deployment in seven years, following an extensive overhaul of her nuclear propulsion plant. Mitscher is on her first deployment since being commissioned 1994

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.