Comedian Josh Blue, winner of the television program"Last Comic Standing,"gets the crowd laughing during a holiday concert aboard the Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76) on Dec. 19, 2006 at Coronado, Calif. The United Service Organizations-sponsored event was headlined by 2006"American Idol"winner Taylor Hicks. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication SPECIALIST 2nd Class Dominique M. Lasco) (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.