U.S. Navy Culinary SPECIALIST 3rd Class Brandon Right puts a layer of icing on a cake in the Aft Galley onboard the Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69) on Oct. 24, 2006. The bakery prepares more than 15 special event cakes a week ranging from re-enlistments, pinnings and birthdays. EISENHOWER is currently deployed in support of maritime security operations in the Mediterranean Sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication SPECIALIST SEAMAN David Danals) (Released)

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.