Editing Hull classification symbol (section)

==== Aircraft carrier type ====
Aircraft carriers are ships designed primarily for the purpose of conducting combat operations by aircraft which engage in attacks against airborne, surface, sub-surface and shore targets. Contrary to popular belief, the "CV" hull classification symbol does not stand for "carrier vessel". "CV" derives from the cruiser designation, with one popular theory that the V comes from French ''voler'', "to fly", but this has never been definitively proven.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Grossnick|first=Roy|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/histories/naval-aviation/pdf/app16.pdf|title=United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995|publisher=Naval Historical Center|year=1997|isbn=0-945274-34-3|location=Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C.|pages=625}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/french-english/voler|title=English Translation of "voler" {{!}} Collins French-English Dictionary|website=www.collinsdictionary.com|language=en|access-date=2019-02-07}}</ref> The V has long been used by the U.S. Navy for heavier-than-air craft and possibly comes from the French [[volplane]].<ref>''United States Naval Aviation 1910–1995.'' Appendix 16: ''US Navy and Marine Corps Squadron Designations and Abbreviations.''</ref><ref>[https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-20050417-2005-04-17-0504170205-story.html Military naming conventions: The ABCs of US ships], Daily Press</ref> Aircraft carriers are designated in two sequences: the first sequence runs from CV-1 USS ''[[USS Langley (CV-1)|Langley]]'' to the very latest ships, and the second sequence, "CVE" for escort carriers, ran from CVE-1 [[USS Long Island (CVE-1)|''Long Island'']] to CVE-127 [[USS Okinawa (CVE-127)|''Okinawa'']] before being discontinued.
* AV: Heavier-than-air aircraft tender, later [[List of seaplane carriers by country#United States AVs|Seaplane tender]] (retired)
* AVD: [[List of seaplane carriers by country#United States AVDs|Seaplane tender destroyer]] (retired)<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-06-12|title=Flush-deck destroyers converted as seaplane tenders (AVD)|url=https://destroyerhistory.org/flushdeck/avd/|access-date=2021-10-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612121543/https://destroyerhistory.org/flushdeck/avd/|archive-date=12 June 2021}}</ref>
* AVP: [[List of seaplane carriers by country#United States AVPs|Seaplane tender, Small]] (retired)
* AZ: Lighter-than-air aircraft tender (retired) (1920–1923)<ref name=Wright group=A>See {{USS|Wright|AZ-1}}.</ref>
* AVG: General-purpose aircraft tender (repurposed [[escort carrier]]) (1941–42)
* AVT (i) Auxiliary aircraft transport (retired)
* AVT (ii) Auxiliary training carrier (retired)
* ACV: Auxiliary aircraft carrier (escort carrier, replaced by CVE) (1942)
* CV: [[Fleet aircraft carrier]] (1921–1975), multi-purpose [[aircraft carrier]] (1975–present)
* CVA: Aircraft carrier, attack (category merged into CV, 30 June 1975)
* CV(N): Aircraft carrier, night (deck equipped with lighting and pilots trained for nighttime fights) (1944) (retired)
* CVAN: Aircraft carrier, attack, nuclear-powered (category merged into CVN, 30 June 1975)
* CVB: Aircraft carrier, large (original USS ''Midway'' class, category merged into CVA, 1952)
* CVE: [[List of United States Navy escort aircraft carriers|Aircraft carrier, escort]] (retired) (1943–retirement of type)
* CVHA: Aircraft carrier, helicopter assault (retired in favor of several LH-series [[amphibious assault ship]] hull codes)
* CVHE: Aircraft carrier, helicopter, escort (retired)
* CVL: [[Light aircraft carrier]] or aircraft carrier, small (retired)<ref>[https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/histories/naval-aviation/Naval%20Aviation%20News/1940/pdf/1aug43.pdf Bureau of Aeronautics, Navy Department."New Carrier Designations". ''BuAER News'' (title later changed to ''Naval Aviation News''). Washington, D.C. No. 198 (1 Aug 1943) p. 9.]</ref><ref>[http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015031962056;view=1up;seq=3 United States. Office of Naval History. ''Glossary of U.S. Naval Abbreviations''. 3d ed. Washington: U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1947. p. 20.]</ref><ref>United States. Office of Naval Records and History. ''Glossary of US Naval Abbreviations''. 5th ed. Washington: U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1949. [https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/u/us-navy-abbreviations-of-ww2.html Naval History and Heritage Command]. accessed 6 May 2017.</ref>
* CVN: Aircraft carrier, nuclear-powered
* CVS: [[Antisubmarine aircraft carrier]] (retired)
* CVT: Aircraft carrier, training (changed to AVT (auxiliary))
* CVU: Aircraft carrier, utility (retired)
* CVG: Aircraft carrier, guided missile (retired)
* CF: [[Flight deck cruiser]] (1930s, retired unused)
* CVV:<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0757047 |title=The Vari-Purpose Carrier |access-date=4 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053703/http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0757047 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Aircraft Carrier (Medium)|Aircraft carrier, vari-purpose, medium]] (retired unused)