Sailors man the rails near a Strike Fighter Squadron 113 (VFA-113) F/A-18C Hornet aircraft on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS INDEPENDENCE (CV-62) as the ship arrives at its new home port. The INDEPENDENCE is relieving the aircraft carrier USS MIDWAY (CV-41) as the Navy's forward-based aircraft carrier

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.