As seen through a night vision lens, the USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75) begins its transit through the Suez Canal. The nuclear powered aircraft carrier is scheduled to arrive in the Persian Gulf in January to support Operaton SOUTHERN WATCH. Truman is on a scheduled six-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf

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.