Aircraft carriers played an integral role in World War II and continue to play an important part in today’s military conflicts. In over 80% of the times when the World was faced with international violence, the United States has responded with one or more carrier task forces. Aircraft carriers essentially serve as travelling airbases, built to deploy and receive aircraft. The following is a partial list of aircraft carriers operated by the Unite States Navy at some point in history.
| USS Abraham Lincoln | USS Franklin D. Roosevelt | USS Nimitz |
| USS Americana | USS George Washington | USS Oriskany |
| USS Antietam | USS Hancock | USS Princeton |
| USS Bataan | USS Harry S. Truman | USS Randolph |
| USS Belleau | USS Hornet | USS Ranger |
| USS Bennington | USS Independence | USS Ronald Reagan |
| USS Bon Homme | USS Intrepid | USS Saipan |
| USS Boxer | USS John C. Stennis | USS San Jacinto |
| USS Bunker Hill | USS John F. Kennedy | USS Saratoga |
| USS Carl Vinson | USS Kearsage | USS Shangri-La |
| USS Constellation | USS Kitty Hawk | USS Tarawa |
| USS Coral Sea | USS Lake Champlain | USS Theodore Roosevelt |
| USS Cowpens | USS Lexington | USS Ticonderoga |
| USS Dwight D. Eisenhower | USS Leyte | USS Valley Forge |
| USS Enterprise | USS Midway | USS Wasp |
| USS Essex | USS Monterey | USS Yorktown |
| USS Forrestal |