US Navy (USN) AIRMAN (AN) Raedale Dulin (right) assist the tower supervisor with lighting configurations during flight operations aboard the USN Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76) in the Pacific Ocean. The REAGAN and USN Carrier Air Wing 14 (CVW-14) are completing their six-month regularly scheduled deployment in support of the Global War On Terrorism (GWOT) and Maritime Security Operations (MSO)

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.