Carrier vessel

The Akira-class carrier vessel

A carrier is a type of warship that can support and launch small craft. It is designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering starships, and to act as a travelling starbase.

Carriers by nature allow a space-faring force to project fleet operations, without having to depend on local bases for staging fighter operations.

As far as terminology goes, "Carriers" are typically combat-based, whereas "Motherships" are scientific or colony based.

See also:

• Federation Class Carrier, a Federation starship class
• Armored Personnel Carrier, a Federation starship class
• Carrier wave, a communications technology