Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt will become the first woman to command a one of the Navy’s 11 nuclear aircraft carriers in 2022. In 2016 she became the first female executive officer of nuclear aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, second-in-command of a crew of 5,000. She graduated from the Naval Academy in 1994, the same year women were allowed to serve on combat ships and planes. Although it is not yet known which of the vessels she will be at the helm of, Naval Air Forces have confirmed that the selection of a woman is historic. Bauernschmidt has accumulated more than 3,000 flight hours in naval helicopters aboard various aircraft carriers throughout her career and has served in areas from Alaska to Southwest Asia. Bauernschmidt is currently the commanding officer of the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego.
