USS Abraham Lincoln Deploys with First Female Commanding Officer

By Andrew Dyer, San Diego Union-Tribune

An aircraft carrier is underway toward the Western Pacific on a routine deployment, and for the first time in Navy history, it’s doing so with a female captain in charge.

For the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln ( CVN 72), which left its berth at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego Bay on Monday morning, the deployment marks the culmination of nine months of training and work-ups. It is also the first carrier deployment for a Marine Corps F-35C fighter squadron.

CAPT Amy Bauernschmidt took command of the ship in August, becoming the first woman to command a Navy aircraft carrier.

The carrier’s deployment comes amid increasingly hostile rhetoric between China and Taiwan. RADM Jeffrey Anderson, the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group commander, did not comment specifically on the matter during a news conference Monday but said the strike group is ready to accomplish its mission, whatever that might be. “We’re trained and certified for global deployment,” Anderson said. “Our mission is to provide combat capability and ready naval forces so that we can work alongside our allies and partners to be able to deter aggression and also counter malign influence.”

CAPT Bauernschmidt said that her crew performed exceptionally during deployment work-ups and that she was humbled to be entrusted with their safety.

“This is an amazing day,” she said. “They are going to do exceptional work out there, and I just can’t wait to watch them succeed.”

Five sailors were killed during those work-ups in September when their helicopter crashed into the carrier’s flight deck and tumbled into the sea. CAPT Bauernschmidt, who came up through the ranks flying helicopters, had been in command for 12 days when the crash occurred. She offered condolences to the families of those killed and talked about the effect the crash had on the crew.

“It is always a tough experience and no one is prepared for something like that — everyone deals with it in their own way,” she said. “It was a tough day that none of us will ever forget.”

CAPT Amy Bauernschmidt, Commanding Officer of Nimitzclass aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), speaks with local media during a press conference before the ship gets underway for a regularly-scheduled deployment. Photo