A Naval Air Reserve Fighter Squadron 301 (VF-301) F-14A Tomcat aircraft taxis on the flight deck after landing aboard aircraft carrier USS CONSTELLATION (CV 64). The reserve squadron is aboard the ship for carrier qualifications

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.