The U.S. Navy Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72) departs Naval Station Everett, Wash., en route to Naval Station Puget Sound in Bremerton, Wash., for a six-month post deployment dry-dock maintenance. Aug. 29, 2006. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication SPECIALIST 1ST Class Bruce McVicar) (Released)

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.