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)). Ships commissioned with hull classification symbols CVA-58 or higher are additionally classified as supercarriers. The United States Navy has also used escort aircraft carriers and airship aircraft carriers. This list does not include various amphibious warfare ships which can operate as carriers.
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The first aircraft carrier commissioned into the United States Navy was USS Langley (CV-1) on 20 March 1922. The Langley was a converted Proteus-class collier (originally commissioned as USS Jupiter (AC-3), Langley was soon followed by the Lexington-class, USS Ranger (the first purpose-built carriers in the American fleet), the Yorktown-class, and USS Wasp. These classes made up the entirety of the United States carrier fleet active prior to and during the Second World War.
With World War II looming, two more classes of carriers were commissioned under President Franklin Roosevelt, the Essex-class and the Independence-class. Between these two classes, 35 ships were created. During this time, the Navy also purchased two training vessels, USS Wolverine and USS Sable.
The Cold War led to multiple developments in the United States' carrier fleet, starting with the addition of the Midway-class and the Saipan-class. One more class in the start of the Cold War, the United States-class, was canceled due to the Truman administration's policy of shrinking the United States Navy and in particular, the Navy's air assets. The policy was eventually revised after a public outcry and Congressional hearings sparked by the Revolt of the Admirals. Later in the Cold War era, the first of the classes dubbed "supercarriers" was born in the Forrestal-class, with the Kitty Hawk-class, USS Enterprise, and USS John F. Kennedy classes. Ordered later in this era, the Nimitz-class carriers are the only class that are currently in active-duty service.
A new class of carriers, the Gerald R. Ford-class, has been ordered by the Navy. As of now, one ship (Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)) has been completed, construction has started on one ship (John F. Kennedy (CVN-79)), and one ship has been planned (Enterprise (CVN-80)).
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Training ships
During World War II, the United States Navy purchased two Great Lakes side-wheel paddle steamers and converted them into freshwater aircraft carrier training ships. Both vessels were designated with the hull classification symbol IX (Unclassified Miscellaneous) and lacked hangar decks, elevators or armaments. The role of these ships was for the training of pilots for carrier take-offs and landings. Together the Sable and Wolverine trained 17,820 pilots in 116,000 carrier landings. Of these, 51,000 landings were on Sable.