Woman Tapped To Command San Diego-Based USS Abraham Lincoln

SAN DIEGO, CA — The first woman to assume command of a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has been assigned command of the San Diego-based USS Abraham Lincoln, the Navy announced Wednesday.

Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt will lead one of the Navy's 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, after previously serving as the ship's executive officer from September 2016 to January 2019.

That post was also historic, as she was the first woman to serve as second-in-command aboard an aircraft carrier, according to the Navy.

Bauernschmidt is slated to take command of the Lincoln this summer.

"I am incredibly honored and humbled to be selected," she said of her assignment. ``I love leading sailors and I take that responsibility extremely seriously."

The Milwaukee native was part of the first graduating class in which women were allowed to serve aboard combatant ships and aircraft when she graduated from the United States Naval Academy in May 1994.

She was designated as a naval aviator in 1996 and has served with several helicopter squadrons throughout her career.