List of aircraft carriers



This list of aircraft carriers contains aircraft carriers listed alphabetically by name. An aircraft carrier is a warship with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft, that serves as a seagoing airbase.

Included in this list are ships which meet the above definition and had an official name (italicized) or designation (non-italicized), regardless of whether they were or were not ordered, laid down, completed, or commissioned.

Not included in this list are the following:


 * Aircraft cruisers, also known as aviation cruisers, cruiser-carriers, flight deck cruisers, and hybrid battleship-carriers, which combine the characteristics of aircraft carriers and surface warfare ships, because they primarily operated helicopters or floatplanes and did not act as a floating airbase. Examples include the British Tiger-class cruisers, Japanese Hyūga-class helicopter destroyers, French cruiser FRENCH CRUISER Jeanne d'Arc, Soviet Moskva-class helicopter carriers, and Italian Andrea Doria-class cruisers. Vessels which meet the criteria of an aircraft carrier but are named as cruisers (or destroyers, etc.) for political or treaty reasons such as the Russian Kuznetsov-class aircraft carriers or British Invincible-class aircraft carriers are included however.
 * Amphibious assault ships, also known as commando carriers, assault carriers, helicopter carriers, landing helicopter assault ships, landing helicopter docks, landing platform docks, and landing platform helicopters. Although they have flight decks and look like aircraft carriers, they primarily operate helicopters and do not act as a floating airbase. Examples include the US Wasp-class assault ships, Brazilian NAM Atlântico (A140), Japanese JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Akitsu Maru escort carrier, and French Mistral-class amphibious assault ship.
 * Catapult aircraft merchantmen, merchant ships which carried cargo and an aircraft catapult (no flight deck).
 * Escort carriers, usually converted merchant ships, see separate List of escort carriers by country.
 * "Landing craft carriers" such as USS LST-906, which were modified amphibious landing ships, because they could not recover their aircraft.
 * Merchant aircraft carriers, cargo-carrying merchant ships with a full flight deck.
 * Seaplane tenders and seaplane carriers, because they could not land aircraft.
 * Submarine aircraft carriers, because they had no flight deck and could not land their aircraft.

"In commission" denotes the period that the ship was officially in commission with the given name for the given country as an aircraft carrier as defined above.

Numbers of aircraft carriers by country
The table below does not include submarine aircraft carriers, seaplane tenders, escort carriers, merchant aircraft carriers, helicopter carriers, or amphibious assault ships The total includes ships under construction, but not ships that never got past the planning stage.

Argentina
Retired:
 * Light carriers:
 * ARA Independencia (V-1): Colossus class light carrier, ex-HMS Warrior, in service from 1959 to 1969; scrapped 1971
 * ARA Veinticinco de Mayo: Colossus class light carrier, ex-HMS Venerable, in service from 1969 to 1999; scrapped 1999

Australia
Retired:
 * Light fleet carriers:
 * HMAS Sydney (R17): Majestic class carrier in service from 1948 to 1958. Later recommissioned as troop transport
 * HMAS Melbourne (R21): Majestic class carrier in service from 1955 to 1982
 * HMAS Vengeance: Colossus class light carrier on loan from Royal Navy from 1952 to 1955

Brazil
Retired:
 * Fleet carrier:
 * BRAZILIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER São Paulo: Clemenceau-class aircraft carrier carrier in service between 2000 and 2017. Former name as carrier of the French Navy: Foch. Scuttled in 2023
 * Light carrier:
 * BRAZILIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER Minas Gerais: Colossus-class carrier, ex-HMS Vengeance, in service from 1960 to 2001

Canada
Retired:
 * Light carriers:
 * HMCS Warrior: Colossus-class light carrier in service from 1946 to 1948; returned to Royal Navy and sold to Argentine Navy as ARA Independencia (V-1); carrier in service from 1959 to 1969; scrapped 1971
 * HMCS Magnificent (CVL 21): Majestic-class carrier in service from 1946 to 1956; returned to Royal Navy and stricken; scrapped in Scotland in 1965
 * HMCS Bonaventure (CVL 22) : Majestic-class carrier in service from 1957 to 1970; ordered by Royal Navy, but sold as HMS Powerful and delivered to Royal Canadian Navy; retired by the Canadian Armed Forces and broken up in Taiwan 1971

China
Active:
 * CHINESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Liaoning: partially completed ex-Soviet Navy carrier sold to China by Ukraine and refitted in Dalian as Type 001. Handed over to PLAN on 23 September 2012 and entered active service on 25 September 2012.
 * CHINESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Shandong: construction started in 2013, launched in 2017, and entered active service on 17 December 2019.

Fitting-out & Seatrials
 * Fujian: Type 003 carrier. Launched 17 June 2022. In January 2024, the Fujian was carrying out mooring tests in preparation for its maiden voyage.

Under construction & Planned:
 * Type 004: a planned nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

France
Active:
 * FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER Charles de Gaulle: nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in service since 2001

Planned:
 * PANG: a planned nuclear-powered aircraft carrier

Retired:
 * FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER Béarn: converted Normandie-class battleship in service from 1927 to 1948
 * FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER Dixmude: Avenger-class escort carrier, ex-HMS Biter (D97), in service from 1945 to 1951
 * FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER Arromanches: Colossus-class light aircraft carrier, ex-HMS Colossus (R15), in service from 1946 to 1974
 * Independence-class aircraft carrier
 * FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER La Fayette: light aircraft carrier in service from 1951 to 1963
 * FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER Bois Belleau: light aircraft carrier in service from 1953 to 1960
 * Clemenceau-class aircraft carrier
 * FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER Clemenceau: aircraft carrier in service from 1961 to 1997
 * FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER Foch: aircraft carrier in service from 1963 to 2000. Refitted, sold to Brazil and renamed São Paulo. Scuttled in 2023

Never completed:
 * FRENCH SHIP Engageante: Friponne-class sloop planned for conversion but not completed
 * FRENCH SHIP Conquerante: Valliante-class sloop planned for conversion but not completed
 * Joffre-class aircraft carrier
 * FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER Joffre: carrier construction cancelled in 1940
 * FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER Painlevé: carrier plan cancelled in 1940
 * FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER Verdun: attack carrier development cancelled in 1961
 * PH 75: projected two nuclear powered helicopter carrier program during the 1970s
 * Bretagne: STOVL aircraft carrier
 * Provence: STOVL aircraft carrier
 * PA 2: modified version of Thales UK/BMT design for the future British Queen Elizabeth class (formerly CVF).

Germany
Never completed:
 * GERMAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER I – planned conversion of passenger ship from German shipyard to aircraft carrier. Cancelled in 1918.
 * GERMAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER Graf Zeppelin: Graf Zeppelin-class carrier. Launched but not completed. Construction work stopped in 1943.
 * Flugzeugträger B: Graf Zeppelin class carrier cancelled partly constructed in 1939.
 * Flugzeugträger C: Planned Graf Zeppelin class carrier cancelled in 1938.
 * Flugzeugträger D: Planned Graf Zeppelin class carrier cancelled in 1938.
 * GERMAN CRUISER Seydlitz: conversion of part-built Admiral Hipper-class cruiser. Work stopped in 1943 and not resumed.
 * GERMAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER I: conversion of the transport ship SS Europa (1928) cancelled at the design stage in November 1942 due to insurmountable problems.
 * Jade: Lead ship of the Jade-class. Converted from the passenger liner SS Potsdam. Laid down in 1934 but never completed. Sunk on 2 May 1943.
 * Elbe: Converted from the passenger liner SS Gneisenau (1935). Laid down in 1934 but never completed. Survived the war but was seized by Great Britain on the 20 of June 1946.
 * German aircraft carrier II: was a proposed conversion project for the incomplete French cruiser De Grasse. The ship was laid down in November 1938 and lay incomplete in the Arsenal de Lorient shipyard when Germany invaded France in May 1940. In 1942, Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine decided to convert the cruiser into an auxiliary aircraft carrier with a capacity for twenty-three fighters and dive bombers. Work ceased in February 1943, however, due to concerns with the ship's design, a severe shortage of material and labor, and the threat of Allied bombing raids. In 1945, the ship was returned to France and was eventually completed as an anti-aircraft cruiser in 1956 by the French Navy

The two planned Italian carriers ITALIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER Aquila and ITALIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER Sparviero were seized by the Germans after the Italian Armistice but not completed.

India
Active:
 * INS Vikramaditya: 45,400 tons, Modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier carrier (ex-SOVIET AIRCRAFT CARRIER Admiral Gorshkov), in service with India since 2013.
 * INS Vikrant (2013): 45,000 ton carrier. It was built at Cochin Shipyard and commissioned on September 2, 2022.

Planned:
 * INS Vishal: 65,000 ton carrier. Yet to start, planned to enter service in 2030. It will be conventionally powered.

Retired:
 * INS Vikrant (1961): 19,500 tons, Majestic-class carrier, (ex-HMS Hercules), in service from 1961 to 1997, used as a museum until 2012, scrapped 2014–2015.
 * INS Viraat: 28,700 tons, Centaur-class aircraft carrier carrier (ex-HMS Hermes (R12)) in service from 1987 to 2016. Decommissioned on 6 March 2017.

Italy
Active:
 * ITALIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER Cavour (2008) – current fleet flagship.
 * ITALIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER Giuseppe Garibaldi (1985) – active.

Under construction:
 * ITALIAN LANDING HELICOPTER DOCK Trieste : 32,300 tons carrier. Construction began in 2017 at Fincantieri Shipyard and is expected to enter service in 2024.

Never completed:
 * ITALIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER Sparviero (1927) (converted liner Augustus, not completed as carrier) – Sunk 5 October 1944
 * ITALIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER Aquila (1926) (converted liner Roma) – BU 1951–1952

Japan
Active:
 * Izumo-class multi-purpose destroyer
 * JS Izumo – Commissioned in 2015. Announced in December 2018 to be redesignated and converted into a multi-purpose destroyer to carry F-35 aircraft
 * JS Kaga – Commissioned in 2017. Announced in December 2018 to be redesignated and converted into a multi-purpose destroyer to carry F-35 aircraft

Retired:
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Hōshō (1921) – used as transport to repatriate Japanese troops postwar and dismantled 1946
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Ryūhō (1933) – damaged at Kure by U.S. air raid March 1945 and dismantled 1946
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Kaiyō (1943) – damaged at Kure by U.S. air raid March 1945, grounded in Beppu Bay and dismantled in place in 1946
 * Hiyō-class aircraft carrier
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Jun'yō (1939) – damaged during Battle of Philippine Sea, June 1944. Never repaired; dismantled 1946
 * Unryū-class aircraft carrier
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Katsuragi (1944) – used as transport to repatriate Japanese troops postwar and dismantled 1946

Sunk:
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Kaga (1921) – sunk, Battle of Midway, June 1942
 * Amagi-class aircraft carrier
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Akagi (1925) – sunk, Battle of Midway, June 1942
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Ryūjō (1931) – sunk, Battle of the Eastern Solomons, August 1942


 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Sōryū (1935) – sunk, Battle of Midway, June 1942
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Hiryū (1937) – sunk, Battle of Midway, June 1942
 * Zuihō-class aircraft carrier
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Shōhō (1935) – sunk, Battle of the Coral Sea, May 1942
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Zuihō (1936) – sunk, Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 1944
 * Chitose-class aircraft carrier
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Chitose (1936) – seaplane tender from 1934 to 1942, rebuilt as light carrier and sunk at Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Chiyoda (1937) – sunk at Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 1944
 * Shōkaku-class aircraft carrier
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Shōkaku (1939) – sunk by U.S. submarine USS Cavalla (SS-244), Battle of Philippine Sea, June 1944
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Zuikaku (1939) – sunk, Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 1944
 * Hiyō-class aircraft carrier
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Hiyō (1939) – sunk, Battle of Philippine Sea, June 1944
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Taihō (1943) – sunk by U.S. submarine USS Albacore (SS-218), Battle of Philippine Sea, June 1944
 * Taiyō-class aircraft carrier
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Taiyō (1941) – sunk by U.S. submarine USS Rasher (SS-269), August 1944
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Un'yō (1942) – sunk by U.S. submarine USS Barb (SS-220), September 1944
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Chūyō (1942) – sunk by U.S. submarine USS Sailfish (SS-192), December 1943
 * Unryū-class aircraft carrier
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Amagi (1943) – used as anti-aircraft platform and sunk in July 1945
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Unryū (1943) – sunk by U.S. submarine USS Redfish (SS-395), December 1944
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Shinano (1944) – sunk by U.S. submarine USS Archerfish (SS-311), November 1944
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Shin'yō (1944) – sunk by U.S. submarine USS Spadefish (SS-411), November 1944

Hōshō, Jun'yō, Katsuragi, and Ryūhō survived the war. These were scrapped by 1948.

Never completed:
 * Amagi-class aircraft carrier
 * Amagi (not completed); damaged beyond economical repair in the Great Kantō earthquake of September 1923, scrapped 1924
 * Taihō-class aircraft carrier
 * 5x Improved JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Taihō, project G-15 (cancelled 1944)
 * Unryū-class aircraft carrier
 * Hull 5002, 3rd unit of Unryū class (cancelled 1943); materials used for Shinano conversion
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Kasagi, 5th unit of Unryū class (not completed); dismantled post-war
 * Hull 5005, 6th unit of Unryū class (cancelled 1943); materials used for Shinano conversion
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Aso, 7th unit of Unryū class (not completed); sunk as weapon test target and scrapped postwar
 * JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Ikoma, 8th unit of Unryū class (not completed); dismantled post-war
 * Kurama, 9th unit of Unryū class (cancelled 1944)
 * JAPANESE CRUISER Ibuki – heavy cruiser conversion (not completed); dismantled post-war

Netherlands
Retired:
 * Hr.Ms. Karel Doorman (ex-British HMS Venerable (R63), purchased 1948) – Sold to Argentina 1968 and renamed ARA Veinticinco de Mayo, broken up
 * Hr.Ms. Karel Doorman (ex-British HMS Nairana (D05), transferred to Dutch service 1946) – Converted to merchantman and renamed Port Victor, Until March 1968, owned by Cunard Line but managed by Blue Star Port Lines. Eventually owned by Port Line, 21 July 1971, sent to Faslane to be scrapped
 * Rapana class:
 * Motor vessel Gadila of the Dutch Merchant Navy was a converted Royal Dutch Shell oil tanker along with her sister ship MV Macoma.
 * Motor vessel Macoma together with MV Gadila were the first Dutch aircraft carriers.

Russia (& USSR)
The Russian Navy was established in December 1991, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union (USSR), most Soviet aircraft carriers were transferred over to Russia (with the exception of Varyag which was transferred to Ukraine. Ulyanovsk was scrapped before the Soviet Union was dissolved).

Inactive:
 * Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier
 * RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER Admiral Kuznetsov (Russia: 1991–present / USSR: 1985–1991); Undergoing overhaul and repairs since 2017.

Retired:
 * Kiev-class aircraft carrier
 * SOVIET AIRCRAFT CARRIER Kiev (Russia: 1991–1993, USSR: 1972–1991); converted to a theme park (later hotel) in China
 * SOVIET AIRCRAFT CARRIER Minsk (Russia: 1991–1993, USSR: 1975–1991); converted to a theme park in China
 * SOVIET AIRCRAFT CARRIER Novorossiysk (Russia: 1991–1993, USSR: 1978–1991); scrapped
 * SOVIET AIRCRAFT CARRIER Admiral Gorshkov (Russia: 1991–1995, USSR: 1982–1991); sold to India, modified, rebuilt by India and renamed INS Vikramaditya

Never completed:
 * Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier
 * Varyag (not commissioned) — to Ukraine (1991); rebuilt, tested and commissioned by the Chinese PLAN as Liaoning
 * Ulyanovsk class
 * SOVIET AIRCRAFT CARRIER Ulyanovsk (not commissioned) — scrapped (1991)

Spain
Active:
 * SPANISH AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIP Juan Carlos I : 27,079 tonne STOVL carrier in active service, commissioned 30 September 2010.

Retired:
 * SPANISH AIRCRAFT CARRIER Dédalo: 11,700 ton Independence-class aircraft carrier light carrier, ex-USS Cabot (CVL-28), helicopters only from 1967 to 1976, struck 1989 and returned to United States, eventually scrapped in 2002.
 * SPANISH AIRCRAFT CARRIER Príncipe de Asturias: 17,000 ton STOVL commissioned 30 May 1982, decommissioned on 6 February 2013 due to defence spending cuts.

Never completed:
 * Spanish conversion for refloated Italian heavy cruiser Trieste, cancelled in 1951.

Thailand
Role changed:
 * HTMS Chakri Naruebet (1996)* Commissioned in 1997, but by 1999, only one used AV-8S Matador/Harrier was still operable due to lack of spare parts and age. Since 2006 is solely operated as a helicopter carrier.

Turkey
Active:
 * TCG Anadolu (2021) Construction works began on 30 April 2016 at the shipyard of Sedef Shipbuilding Inc. in Istanbul. It was delivered to the Turkish Navy in January 2023.

United Kingdom
Active:
 * Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier, STOVL ship of 65,000 tonnes
 * HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08)
 * HMS Prince of Wales (R09)

Retired:
 * HMS Argus (I49) (1916) - scrapped 1946
 * HMS Furious (47) (1916) - decommissioned 1945
 * HMS Vindictive (1918) (1918) – converted to aircraft carrying cruiser 1925, sold for scrap 1946
 * HMS Unicorn (I72) fleet maintenance carrier (1943) - sold for scrap 1959
 * Illustrious-class aircraft carrier
 * HMS Illustrious (87) (1939)
 * HMS Formidable (67) (1939)
 * HMS Victorious (R38) (1939)
 * HMS Indomitable (92) (1940)
 * Implacable-class aircraft carrier
 * HMS Implacable (R86) (1942)
 * HMS Indefatigable (R10) (1942)
 * Audacious-class aircraft carrier
 * HMS Eagle (R05) (ex-Audacious) (1946) - decommissioned 1972
 * HMS Ark Royal (R09) (ex-Irresistible) (1950) - decommissioned 1979
 * Colossus class
 * HMS Colossus (R61) (1943), to France 1946 as FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER Arromanches
 * HMS Glory (R62) (1943)
 * HMS Ocean (R68) (1944)
 * HMS Theseus (R64) (1944)
 * HMS Triumph (R16) (1944)
 * HMS Venerable (R63) (1944) – to Netherlands 1948 as HNLMS Karel Doorman (R81), to Argentina 1968 as ARA Veinticinco de Mayo
 * HMS Vengeance (R71) (1944) – to Brazil 1956 as BRAZILIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER Minas Gerais
 * HMS Warrior (R31) (1944) – to Canada 1946–1948, to Argentina 1958 as ARA Independencia
 * HMS Perseus (R51) (1944)
 * HMS Pioneer (R76) (1944)
 * Majestic class
 * HMS Majestic (R77) (1945) – to Australia 1955 as HMAS Melbourne (R21)
 * HMS Hercules (R49) (1945) – to India 1957 as INS Vikrant
 * HMS Magnificent (1944) – sold to Canada as HMCS Magnificent (CVL 21)
 * HMS Powerful (R95) (1945) – to Canada 1952 as HMCS Bonaventure (CVL 22)
 * HMS Terrible (R93) (1944) – to Australia in 1948 as HMAS Sydney (R17)
 * Centaur-class aircraft carrier
 * HMS Centaur (R06) (1947)
 * HMS Albion (R07) (1947)
 * HMS Bulwark (R08) (1948)
 * HMS Hermes (R12) (ex-Elephant) (1953), to India 1986 as INS Viraat
 * Invincible-class aircraft carrier
 * HMS Invincible (R05) (1977)
 * HMS Illustrious (R06) (1982)
 * HMS Ark Royal (R07) (1985)

Sunk:
 * Glorious class
 * HMS Glorious (1916), sunk by Scharnhorst and Gneisenau 8 June 1940
 * HMS Courageous (50) (1916), sunk by U-29 17 September 1939
 * HMS Eagle (1918) (1918), sunk by U-73 11 August 1942
 * HMS Hermes (95) (1923) – first purpose-designed aircraft carrier, sunk by Japanese aircraft 9 April 1942
 * HMS Ark Royal (91) (1938), sunk 14 November 1941 after being torpedoed by U-81 on 13 November 1941

Never completed:


 * Audacious-class aircraft carrier
 * Eagle – cancelled 1946
 * Africa – to Malta class then cancelled
 * Majestic class
 * HMS Leviathan (R97) (1945) – was never completed
 * Centaur-class aircraft carrier - second batch of four cancelled
 * Hermes – cancelled
 * Arrogant – cancelled
 * Monmouth – cancelled
 * Polyphemus – cancelled
 * Malta-class aircraft carrier – ordered 1943, not laid down, cancelled 1945
 * Malta
 * New Zealand
 * Gibraltar
 * Africa
 * CVA-01 – cancelled 1966
 * Initial four ships planned, reduced to two (likely to have been named Queen Elizabeth and Duke of Edinburgh), reduced to one ship in 1963. No building started.

United States
The United States Navy is a blue-water navy that is the world's largest navy by tonnage and has the world's largest fleet of nuclear powered aircraft carriers. The carrier fleet currently comprises the (CATOBAR) Nimitz-class aircraft carrier and (CATOBAR/ EMALS) Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier supercarriers. These carriers serve as the centerpieces and flagships for the Navy's Carrier Strike Groups, with their embarked carrier air wings and accompanying ships and submarines, which strongly contribute to the US ability to project force around the globe. The following is a complete list of all the US Navy's carriers and classes to date, and their status:

Active
 * Nimitz-class aircraft carrier
 * USS Nimitz
 * USS Dwight D. Eisenhower
 * USS Carl Vinson
 * USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)
 * USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)
 * USS George Washington (CVN-73)
 * USS John C. Stennis
 * USS Harry S. Truman
 * USS Ronald Reagan
 * USS George H.W. Bush
 * Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier
 * USS Gerald R. Ford

Under construction
 * Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier
 * USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79)
 * USS Enterprise (CVN-80)
 * USS Doris Miller

Planned
 * Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier
 * CVN-82 (ordered)
 * CVN-83 (planned)
 * CVN-84 (planned)
 * CVN-85 (planned)
 * CVN-86 (planned)
 * CVN-87 (planned)

Reserve
 * (none currently in reserve)

Retired (preserved as museum ships)
 * Essex-class aircraft carrier
 * USS Yorktown (CV-10) – (Charleston, South Carolina)
 * USS Intrepid (CV-11) – (New York City, New York)
 * USS Hornet (CV-12) – (Alameda, California)
 * USS Lexington (CV-16) – (Corpus Christi, Texas)
 * Midway-class aircraft carrier
 * USS Midway (CV-41) – (San Diego, California)

Retired (other)
 * Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier
 * USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) - (awaiting dismantling)
 * USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) - (awaiting dismantling)

Retired (scrapped)
 * Ranger-class aircraft carrier
 * USS Ranger (CV-4)
 * Yorktown-class aircraft carrier
 * USS Enterprise (CV-6)
 * Essex-class aircraft carrier (‡ extended bow)
 * USS Essex (CV-9)
 * USS Franklin (CV-13)
 * USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) ‡
 * USS Randolph (CV-15) ‡
 * USS Bunker Hill (CV-17)
 * USS Wasp (CV-18)
 * USS Hancock (CV-19) ‡
 * USS Bennington (CV-20)
 * USS Boxer (CV-21) ‡
 * USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31)
 * USS Leyte (CV-32) ‡
 * USS Kearsarge (CV-33) ‡
 * USS Antietam (CV-36) ‡
 * USS Princeton (CV-37) ‡
 * USS Shangri-La ‡
 * USS Lake Champlain (CV-39) ‡
 * USS Tarawa (CV-40) ‡
 * USS Valley Forge (CV-45) ‡
 * USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) ‡
 * Independence-class aircraft carrier
 * USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24)
 * USS Cowpens (CVL-25)
 * USS Monterey (CVL-26)
 * USS Langley (CVL-27)
 * USS Cabot (CVL-28)
 * USS Bataan (CVL-29)
 * USS San Jacinto (CVL-30)
 * Midway-class aircraft carrier
 * USS Franklin D. Roosevelt
 * USS Coral Sea (CV-43)
 * Saipan-class aircraft carrier
 * USS Saipan (CVL-48)
 * USS Wright (CVL-49)
 * Forrestal-class aircraft carrier
 * USS Forrestal
 * USS Saratoga (CV-60)
 * USS Ranger (CV-61)
 * USS Independence (CV-62)
 * Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier
 * USS Constellation (CV-64)
 * Enterprise-class aircraft carrier
 * USS Enterprise (CVN-65)

Sunk († scuttled)
 * Langley-class aircraft carrier
 * USS Langley (CV-1) †
 * Lexington-class aircraft carrier
 * USS Lexington (CV-2)
 * USS Saratoga (CV-3)
 * Yorktown-class aircraft carrier
 * USS Yorktown (CV-5)
 * USS Hornet (CV-8)
 * Wasp-class aircraft carrier
 * USS Wasp (CV-7) †
 * Essex-class aircraft carrier (‡ extended bow)
 * USS Oriskany (CV-34) ‡ †
 * Independence-class aircraft carrier
 * USS Independence (CVL-22) †
 * USS Princeton (CVL-23)
 * Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier
 * USS America (CV-66) †

Cancelled before completion
 * Essex-class aircraft carrier (‡ extended bow)
 * USS Reprisal (CV-35) ‡
 * USS Iwo Jima (CV-46) ‡
 * No name assigned (CV-50)
 * No name assigned (CV-51)
 * No name assigned (CV-52)
 * No name assigned (CV-53)
 * No name assigned (CV-54)
 * No name assigned (CV-55)
 * Midway-class aircraft carrier
 * No name assigned (CV-44)
 * No name assigned (CVB-56)
 * No name assigned (CVB-57)
 * United States-class aircraft carrier
 * USS United States (CVA-58)

Escort aircraft carrier

The United States Navy also had a sizable fleet of escort aircraft carriers during World War II and the era that followed. These ships were both quicker and cheaper to build than larger fleet carriers and were built in great numbers to serve as a stop-gap measure when fleet carriers were too few. However, they were usually too slow to keep up with naval task forces and would typically be assigned to amphibious operations, often seen in the Pacific war's island hopping campaign, or to convoy protection in the war in the Atlantic. To that end, many of these ships were transferred to the Royal Navy as part of the US-UK lend-lease program. While some of these ships were kept for a time in reserve after the war, none survive today, as they have all since been sunk or retired and scrapped. The following are the classes and stand-alone ships of the US Navy's escort carriers;
 * Bogue-class escort carrier (45 ships, 33 went to the RN)
 * Sangamon-class escort carrier (4 ships)
 * Casablanca-class escort carrier (50 ships)
 * Commencement Bay-class escort carrier (19 ships went into service, 4 were cancelled)
 * Stand-alone ships;
 * No USN name given (AVG-1/BAVG-1) – went to the RN as HMS Archer (D78)
 * No USN name given (AVG-2/BAVG-2) – went to the RN as HMS Avenger (D14)
 * No USN name given (AVG-3/BAVG-3) – went to the RN as HMS Biter (D97), then later to the French Navy as Dixmude
 * No USN name given (AVG-4/BAVG-4) – went to the RN as HMS Charger (D27), later returned to USN as USS Charger (CVE-30)
 * No USN name given (AVG-5/BAVG-5) – went to the RN as HMS Dasher (D37)
 * No USN name given (BAVG-6) – went to the RN as HMS Tracker (D24)
 * USS Long Island (CVE-1)

Amphibious assault ship

The United States Navy also has several full-deck, amphibious assault ships, which are larger than many of the aircraft carriers of other navies today. These ships are STOVL-capable and can carry full squadrons of fixed-wing aircraft, such as the V/STOL AV-8B Harrier II and the STOVL F-35 Lightning II, along with numerous rotary-wing aircraft. Their primary purpose though, is usually to serve as the centerpiece and flagship for an Expeditionary Strike Group or Amphibious Ready Group, carrying US Marine Corps Expeditionary Units and their equipment close to shore for amphibious landings and departures. The following are ships and classes of US Navy amphibious assault ships;

Active
 * Wasp-class amphibious assault ship (LHD) (843 ft, 40,500 tons)
 * USS Wasp (LHD-1)
 * USS Essex (LHD-2)
 * USS Kearsarge (LHD-3)
 * USS Boxer (LHD-4)
 * USS Bataan (LHD-5)
 * USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7)
 * USS Makin Island (LHD-8)
 * America-class amphibious assault ship (LHA) (844 ft, 45,000 tons)
 * USS America (LHA-6)
 * USS Tripoli (LHA-7)

Under construction Planned
 * America-class amphibious assault ship
 * USS Bougainville (LHA-8)
 * USS Fallujah (LHA-9)
 * America-class amphibious assault ship (11 total)
 * LHA-10 (ordered)
 * LHA-11 (planned)
 * LHA-12 (planned)
 * LHA-13 (planned)
 * LHA-14 (planned)
 * LHA-15 (planned)
 * LHA-16 (planned)

Retired
 * Wasp-class amphibious assault ship
 * USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6)
 * Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship (LHA)
 * USS Tarawa (LHA-1) – (On donation hold)
 * USS Saipan (LHA-2)
 * USS Belleau Wood (LHA-3)
 * USS Nassau (LHA-4) – (On donation hold)
 * USS Peleliu (LHA-5) – (In Reserve)
 * Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ship (LPH)
 * USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2)
 * USS Okinawa (LPH-3)
 * USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7)
 * USS Guam (LPH-9)
 * USS Tripoli (LPH-10) – (Converted to missile trial platform with the National Defense Reserve Fleet in 2006, scrapped in 2018)
 * USS New Orleans (LPH-11)
 * USS Inchon (LPH-12)
 * Stand-alone amphibious assault ships (all LPH, numbered in with the Iwo Jima class);
 * USS Block Island (LPH-1) – (converted Commencement Bay-class escort carrier)
 * USS Boxer (LPH-4) – (converted Essex-class aircraft carrier)
 * USS Princeton (LPH-5) – (converted Essex-class aircraft carrier)
 * USS Thetis Bay (LPH-6) – (converted Casablanca-class escort carrier)
 * USS Valley Forge (LPH-8) – (converted Essex-class aircraft carrier)