Summary History of US Navy Aircraft Carriers. The modern Nimitz-class (CVN-68) aircraft carrier is like a small city with a medium-sized airport on the roof. The combat power carried by the carrier, its air wing, and the other ships in a U.S. aircraft carrier battle group (CVBG) provides the President, in the words of writer Tom Clancy, "presence, influence, and options."

The term "submarine," as an adjective, simply means under the sea. But as a noun, a submarine invokes the mental image of a boat that can wreak havoc during wartime through its stealth and power. Although they are large craft that are crewed by over 150 submariners, a submarine is always referred to as a "boat." That's because during their development, the name of the craft was shortened from the adjective "submarine boat" to create the noun "submarine."