US Navy (USN) Catapult Officer (yellow shirt) gives the go signal to USN Captain (CPT) Gary Mace, onboard the USN F/A-18 Hornet, Strike Fighter Squadron 27 (VFA-27), Royal Maces, Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi, Japan (JPN), to launch from catapult one from the USN Aircraft Carrier USS KITTY HAWK (CV 63). CPT Mace is launching for a fly-over change of command of Carrier Air Wing 5 (CVW-5)

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.