Vice President George Bush cuts a cake baked in honor of his visit to the aircraft carrier USS RANGER (CV-61). With him at the cutting ceremony are, from left to right: commanding officer CAPT Tony Less, Barbara Bush and VADM Crawford Easterling

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.