The moisture in the air around a Fighter Squadron 102 (VF-102) F-14A Tomcat aircraft turns into a cloud of water vapor as the aircraft makes a hard turn. VF-102 is embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS AMERICA (CV 66) for a routine deployment.

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.