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 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 CVN/S (aircraft carrier (nuclear propulsion, stealth)). Beginning with the *America*-class, (CV-51 to present) all carriers commissioned into service, excluding CV-55-58, are classified as supercarriers.

The United States Navy has also used escort aircraft carriers (CVE) 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. 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 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 carrier 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 the Second World War.

With World War II looming, two more classes of carriers were commissioned under President Franklin Roosevelt: the *Essex*-class, which are informally divided into regular bow and extended bow sub-classes, and the *Independence*-class, which are classified as light aircraft carriers. Between these two classes, 35 ships were completed. During this time, the Navy also purchased two training vessels, USS *Wolverine* and USS *Sable*, which were given the unclassified miscellaneous (IX) hull designation.

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, starting 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 then 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, with the rest of the ten ships being commissioned from 2029 to 2053. Five additional ships under a new Kitty Hawk configuration which were made to be longer lasting like the Hornet Class, and were originally planned to replace the first four Gerald R. Ford subclass ships, (CVN-78-81). the four ships were not replaced however, instead being refurbished and put into a longer service. After the Ford classes were complete, and Innovation class was made, filling a stealth role in the Pacific, Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean.

### 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. Together the *Sable* and *Wolverine* trained 17,820 pilots in 116,000 carrier landings. Of these, 51,000 landings were on *Sable.*