VADM Crawford Easterling, commander of Naval Forces, Pacific Fleet, talks with RADM George Aitcheson, commander of Carrier Group Seven, during the arrival of Vice President George Bush and his wife Barbara on the aircraft carrier USS RANGER (CV-61)

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.