# List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy

Aircraft carriers are warships that act as airbases for carrier-based aircraft. In the United States Navy, these ships are designated with hull classification symbols such as CV (Aircraft Carrier), CVA (Attack Aircraft Carrier), CVB (Large Aircraft Carrier), CVL (Light Aircraft Carrier), CVE (Escort Aircraft Carrier), CVS (Antisubmarine Aircraft Carrier) and CVN (Aircraft Carrier (Nuclear Propulsion)). Beginning with the Forrestal class, (CV-59 to present) all carriers commissioned into service are classified as supercarriers.
The U.S. Navy has also used escort aircraft carriers (CVE, previously AVG and ACV) and airship aircraft carriers (ZRS). In addition, various amphibious warfare ships (LHA, LHD, LPH, and to a lesser degree LPD and LSD classes) can operate as carriers; two of these were converted to mine countermeasures support ships (MCS), one of which carried minesweeping helicopters. All of these classes of ships have their own lists and so are not included here.

## Historical overview

The first aircraft carrier commissioned into the U.S. 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). It was soon followed by the other pre-World War II classes: the Lexington class; USS Ranger, the first U.S. purpose-built carrier; theYorktown class, and USS Wasp.
As World War II loomed, two more classes of carriers were commissioned under President Franklin Roosevelt: the Essex class, which is informally divided into regular bow and extended bow sub-classes, and the Independence-class ships, which are classified as light aircraft carriers. Between these two classes, 35 ships were completed. The Navy also purchased two training vessels, USS Wolverine and USS Sable, which were given the unclassified miscellaneous (IX) hull designation.
The Midway class and the Saipan class were built later in World War II, but entered service too late to serve in the war. The Midway class would serve during the entire Cold War.
At the start of the Cold War, the first supercarriers, the United States class, were 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 revised after a public outcry and Congressional hearings sparked by the Revolt of the Admirals.
Later in the Cold War, supercarrier construction began with the Forrestal class, followed by the Kitty Hawk class; Enterprise (CVN-65), the first nuclear-powered carrier; and John F. Kennedy (CV-67), the last conventionally powered carrier. These were followed by the Nimitz class and the modern-day post-cold war Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear supercarriers, the only two classes of supercarriers that are currently in active-duty service. With the ten-ship Nimitz class complete by 2009, October 2013 saw the launch of Gerald R. Ford, lead ship of the planned ten-ship Gerald R. Ford class. This was followed by the launch of John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) in October 2019, while construction is underway on Enterprise (CVN-80) and Doris Miller (CVN-81).

## List
### Keys

* out of service
* in active service
* cancelled before completion
* under construction
* on order
List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy :
| Hull no. | Name | Image | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Service life | Status | Ref. |
| CV-1 | Langley | | Langley (lead ship) | 20 March 1922 | 27 February 1942 | 19 years, 344 days | Sunk near Cilacap, Java in 1942 | |
| CV-2 | Lexington | | Lexington (lead ship) | 14 December 1927 | 8 May 1942 | 14 years, 145 days | Sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942 | |
| CV-3 | Saratoga | | Lexington | 16 November 1927 | 25 July 1946 | 18 years, 253 days | Sunk as target ship near Bikini Atoll during Operation Crossroads in 1946 | |
| CV-4 | Ranger | | Ranger (lead ship) | 4 June 1934 | 18 October 1946 | 12 years, 136 days | Scrapped in 1947 | |
| CV-5 | Yorktown | | Yorktown (lead ship) | 30 September 1937 | 7 June 1942 | 4 years, 250 days | Sunk in the Battle of Midway in 1942 | |
| CV-6 | Enterprise | | Yorktown | 12 May 1938 | 17 February 1947 | 8 years, 281 days | Scrapped in 1960 | |
| CV-7 | Wasp | | Wasp (lead ship) | 25 April 1940 | 15 September 1942 | 2 years, 143 days | Sunk during the Guadalcanal campaign in 1942 | |
| CV-8 | Hornet | | Yorktown | 20 October 1941 | 27 October 1942 | 1 year, 7 days | Sunk in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in 1942 | |
| CV-9 | Essex | | Essex (lead ship) | 31 December 1942 | 30 June 1969 | 26 years, 171 days | Scrapped in 1975 | |
| CV-10 | Yorktown | | Essex | 15 April 1943 | 27 June 1970 | 27 years, 73 days | Preserved at the Patriot's Point Naval & Maritime Museum—Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, USA | |
| CV-11 | Intrepid | | Essex | 16 August 1943 | 15 March 1974 | 30 years, 211 days | Preserved at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum—New York City, New York, USA | |
| CV-12 | Hornet | | Essex | 29 November 1943 | 26 June 1970 | 26 years, 218 days | Preserved at USS Hornet Museum—Alameda, California, USA | |
| CV-13 | Franklin | | Essex | 31 January 1944 | 17 February 1947 | 2 years, 351 days | Scrapped in 1966 | |
| CV-14 | Ticonderoga | | Essex (extended bow) | 8 May 1944 | 1 September 1973 | 29 years, 116 days | Scrapped in 1975 | |
| CV-15 | Randolph | | Essex (extended bow) | 9 October 1944 | 13 February 1969 | 24 years, 127 days | Scrapped in 1975 | |
| CV-16 | Lexington | | Essex | 17 February 1943 | 8 November 1991 | 48 years, 264 days | Preserved at USS Lexington Museum on the Bay— Corpus Christi, Texas, USA | |
| CV-17 | Bunker Hill | | Essex | 25 May 1943 | 9 January 1947 | 3 years, 229 days | Scrapped in 1973 | |
| CV-18 | Wasp | | Essex | 24 November 1943 | 1 July 1972 | 28 years, 220 days | Scrapped in 1973 | |
| CV-19 | Hancock | | Essex (extended bow) | 15 April 1944 | 30 January 1976 | 31 years, 290 days | Scrapped in 1976 | |
| CV-20 | Bennington | | Essex | 6 August 1944 | 15 January 1970 | 25 years, 162 days | Scrapped in 1994 | |
| CV-21 | Boxer | | Essex (extended bow) | 16 April 1945 | 1 December 1969 | 24 years, 229 days | Scrapped in 1971 | |
| CVL-22 | Independence | | Independence (lead ship) | 14 January 1943 | 28 August 1946 | 3 years, 226 days | Sunk as target ship near the Farallon Islands in 1951 | |
| CVL-23 | Princeton | | Independence | 25 February 1943 | 24 October 1944 | 1 year, 242 days | Sunk in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944 | |
| CVL-24 | Belleau Wood | | Independence | 31 March 1943 | 13 January 1947 | 3 years, 288 days | Scrapped in 1960 | |
| CVL-25 | Cowpens | | Independence | 28 May 1943 | 13 January 1947 | 3 years, 230 days | Scrapped in 1960 | |
| CVL-26 | Monterey | | Independence | 17 June 1943 | 16 January 1956 | 12 years, 213 days | Scrapped in 1971 | |
| CVL-27 | Langley | | Independence | 31 August 1943 | 11 February 1947 | 3 years, 164 days | Scrapped in 1964 | |
| CVL-28 | Cabot | | Independence | 24 July 1943 | 21 January 1955 | 11 years, 181 days | Scrapped in 2002 | |
| CVL-29 | Bataan | | Independence | 17 November 1943 | 9 April 1954 | 10 years, 143 days | Scrapped in 1961 | |
| CVL-30 | San Jacinto | | Independence | 15 November 1943 | 1 March 1947 | 3 years, 106 days | Scrapped in 1972 | |
| CV-31 | Bon Homme Richard | | Essex | 26 November 1944 | 2 July 1971 | 26 years, 218 days | Scrapped in 1992 | |
| CV-32 | Leyte | | Essex (extended bow) | 11 April 1946 | 15 May 1959 | 13 years, 34 days | Scrapped in 1970 | |
| CV-33 | Kearsarge | | Essex (extended bow) | 2 March 1946 | 13 February 1970 | 23 years, 348 days | Scrapped in 1974 | |
| CV-34 | Oriskany | | Essex (extended bow) | 25 September 1950 | 20 September 1979 | 28 years, 360 days | Scuttled as artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico in 2006 | |
| CV-35 | Reprisal | | Essex (extended bow) | — | — | — | Cancelled during construction. Scrapped in 1949 | |
| CV-36 | Antietam | | Essex (extended bow) | 28 January 1945 | 8 May 1963 | 18 years, 100 days | Scrapped in 1974 | |
| CV-37 | Princeton | | Essex (extended bow) | 18 November 1945 | 30 January 1970 | 24 years, 73 days | Scrapped in 1971 | |
| CV-38 | Shangri-La | | Essex (extended bow) | 15 September 1944 | 30 July 1971 | 26 years, 318 days | Scrapped in 1988 | |
| CV-39 | Lake Champlain | | Essex (extended bow) | 3 June 1945 | 2 May 1966 | 20 years, 333 days | Scrapped in 1972 | |
| CV-40 | Tarawa | | Essex (extended bow) | 8 December 1945 | 13 May 1960 | 14 years, 157 days | Scrapped in 1968 | |
| CVB-41 | Midway | | Midway (lead ship) | 10 September 1945 | 11 April 1992 | 46 years, 214 days | Preserved at the USS Midway Museum—San Diego, California, USA | |
| CVB-42 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | | Midway | 27 October 1945 | 1 October 1977 | 31 years, 339 days | Scrapped in 1978 | |
| CVB-43 | Coral Sea | | Midway | 1 October 1947 | 26 April 1990 | 42 years, 207 days | Scrapped in 2000 | |
| CV-44 | No name assigned | (no image available) | Midway | — | — | — | Cancelled before construction began. | |
| CV-45 | Valley Forge | | Essex (extended bow) | 3 November 1946 | 15 January 1970 | 23 years, 73 days | Scrapped in 1971 | |
| CV-46 | Iwo Jima | | Essex (extended bow) | — | — | — | Cancelled during construction. Scrapped in 1949 | |
| CV-47 | Philippine Sea | | Essex (extended bow) | 11 May 1946 | 28 December 1958 | 12 years, 231 days | Scrapped in 1971 | |
| CVL-48 | Saipan | | Saipan (lead ship) | 14 July 1946 | 14 January 1970 | 23 years, 184 days | Scrapped in 1976 | |
| CVL-49 | Wright | | Saipan | 9 February 1947 | 27 May 1970 | 23 years, 107 days | Scrapped in 1980 | |
| CV-50 – CV-55 | No names assigned | (no images available) | Essex | These hulls were all cancelled before construction began. | These hulls were all cancelled before construction began. | These hulls were all cancelled before construction began. | These hulls were all cancelled before construction began. | |
| CVB-56, CVB-57 | No names assigned | (no images available) | Midway | These hulls were all cancelled before construction began. | These hulls were all cancelled before construction began. | These hulls were all cancelled before construction began. | These hulls were all cancelled before construction began. | |
| CVA-58 | United States | | United States (lead ship) | — | — | — | Cancelled during construction. Scrapped on slip in 1949 | |
| CV-59 | Forrestal | | Forrestal (lead ship) | 1 October 1955 | 11 September 1993 | 37 years, 345 days | Scrapped in 2015 | [52] [53] [54] |
| CV-60 | Saratoga | | Forrestal | 14 April 1956 | 20 August 1994 | 38 years, 128 days | Scrapped in 2019 | |
| CV-61 | Ranger | | Forrestal | 10 August 1957 | 10 July 1993 | 35 years, 334 days | Scrapped in 2017 | |
| CV-62 | Independence | | Forrestal | 10 January 1959 | 30 September 1998 | 39 years, 263 days | Scrapped in 2019 | |
| CV-63 | Kitty Hawk | | Kitty Hawk (lead ship) | 29 April 1961 | 12 May 2009 | 48 years, 13 days | Scrapped in 2024 | [58][59] [60] [61] |
| CV-64 | Constellation | | Kitty Hawk | 27 October 1961 | 7 August 2003 | 41 years, 284 days | Scrapped in 2017 | |
| CVN-65 | Enterprise | | Enterprise (lead ship) | 25 November 1961 | 3 February 2017 | 55 years, 70 days | Struck, to be scrapped | |
| CV-66 | America | | Kitty Hawk | 23 January 1965 | 9 August 1996 | 31 years, 199 days | Sunk as target ship in the Atlantic Ocean in 2005 | |
| CV-67 | John F. Kennedy | | John F. Kennedy (lead ship) | 7 September 1968 | 23 March 2007 | 38 years, 197 days | Undergoing scrapping | [65] [61] |
| CVN-68 | Nimitz | | Nimitz (lead ship) | 3 May 1975 | — | 49 years, 287 days | Stationed at Naval Base Kitsap, Bremerton, Washington | |
| CVN-69 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | | Nimitz | 18 October 1977 | — | 47 years, 119 days | Stationed at Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia | |
| CVN-70 | Carl Vinson | | Nimitz | 13 March 1982 | — | 42 years, 338 days | Stationed at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California | [68] [69] |
| CVN-71 | Theodore Roosevelt | | Nimitz | 25 October 1986 | — | 38 years, 112 days | Stationed at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California | [70] [71] |
| CVN-72 | Abraham Lincoln | | Nimitz | 11 November 1989 | — | 35 years, 95 days | Stationed at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California | |
| CVN-73 | George Washington | | Nimitz | 4 July 1992 | — | 32 years, 225 days | Stationed at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California | |
| CVN-74 | John C. Stennis | | Nimitz | 9 December 1995 | — | 29 years, 67 days | Stationed at Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia (Undergoing Maintenance) | |
| CVN-75 | Harry S. Truman | | Nimitz | 25 July 1998 | — | 26 years, 204 days | Stationed at Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia | |
| CVN-76 | Ronald Reagan | | Nimitz | 12 July 2003 | — | 21 years, 217 days | Stationed at Naval Base Kitsap, Bremerton, Washington | |
| CVN-77 | George H.W. Bush | | Nimitz | 10 January 2009 | — | 16 years, 35 days | Stationed at Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia | |
| CVN-78 | Gerald R. Ford | | Gerald R. Ford (lead ship) | 22 July 2017 | — | 7 years, 207 days | Stationed at Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia | |
| CVN-79 | John F. Kennedy | | Gerald R. Ford | c. 2025 | — | — | Fitting out | |
| CVN-80 | Enterprise | | Gerald R. Ford | c. 2028 | — | — | Under construction | |
| CVN-81 | Doris Miller | | Gerald R. Ford | c. 2032 | — | — | Under construction | |
| CVN-82 | William J. Clinton | | Gerald R. Ford | c. 2034 | — | — | Ordered | |
| CVN-83 | George W. Bush | | Gerald R. Ford | c. 2036 | — | — | Ordered | |

## 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 and lacked hangar decks, elevators or armaments. The role of these ships was for the training of pilots for carrier take-offs and landings in a safe area where the carriers would not be at risk of attack by hostile forces. Together the Sable and Wolverine trained 17,820 pilots in 116,000 carrier landings. Of these, 51,000 landings were on Sable.
| # | Name | Image | Class | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Service life | Status | Ref. |
| IX-64 | Wolverine | | n/a (converted side-wheel steamer) | 12 August 1942 | 7 November 1945 | 3 years, 2 months and 26 days | Scrapped in 1947 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States | |
| IX-81 | Sable | | n/a (converted side-wheel steamer) | 8 May 1943 | 7 November 1945 | 2 years, 5 months and 30 days | Scrapped in 1948 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | |

## Aircraft carrier museums

* National Museum of the United States Navy – Aircraft carrier museums