Women firsts in US Navy

The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) deployed this past week from San Diego under the command of Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt, the first woman to lead a nuclear carrier in U.S. Naval history. Bauernschmidt, who previously served as the ship’s executive officer from 2016-19, took command last August. The carrier deployed Jan. 3 from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., as part of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group. She is a helicopter pilot with more than 3,000 flight hours, and who previously served as commanding officer of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 70. (Source: The AP 01/04/22) Gulf Coast Note: 100 percent of all Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard helicopter pilots train at NAS Whiting Field, Fla., for advanced training following primary training in fixed-wing aircraft. She earned her wings as a Naval aviator in 1996.

First woman to command ‘Old Ironsides’  

BOSTON - Navy Commander Billie J. Farrell will become the first woman to become commanding officer of the USS Constitution – in its 224-year history – during a change of command ceremony Jan. 21. The Constitution, based at Boston's Charlestown Navy Yard, functions as a museum where generations learn about the Navy's role in war.  Farrell is a native of Kentucky and a 2004 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. Her first tour was onboard USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) as Electrical Officer and fleeting up as Navigator for a second tour. Prior to being selected for command of USS Constitution, she served as executive officer in USS Vicksburg (CG-69). USS Constitution sailed into fame and earned the nickname ‘Old Ironsides’ during the War of 1812. It is the world's oldest commissioned warship still afloat. Cmdr. Farrell, a mother of two, will become the 77th commanding officer of USS Constitution. (Source: CBS Boston 01/04/22) Gulf Coast Note: After completion of her tours in Vella Gulf, Cmdr. Farrell reported to Commander Naval Personnel Command in Millington, Tenn. While in Millington, she was awarded her Master of Science in Operations Management from the University of Arkansas.