19 photos proving the US's aircraft carriers are the ultimate weapon

Costing billions of dollars and capable of ferrying thousands of US service members and dozens of aircraft at a time, the US's aircraft carriers are the ultimate modern weapon.

Carriers allow the US to project its power far around the world in locations that may otherwise be hostile. Serving as floating and movable slices of essentially American territory, carriers truly make the US the world's superpower.

In honor of the anniversary of the first aircraft carrier, the USS Langley, here are some of our favorite shots of the US's supercarriers: