Women in the Navy

The Last Dive Bomber

By John Bretschneider on April 1, 2014 Aviation, Carriers, Navy, The Pacific, Women in the Navy, World War II

A World-War II era Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver was unveiled at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. April 1. The Helldiver was the last purpose-built dive bomber to enter Naval service and was designed as a replacement for the smaller SBD Dauntless dive bomber. Poor lateral stability in the early Dash-1 versions led to its not-so-flattering fleet nicknames: Son-of-a-Bitch, Second-Class (for SB2C) or simply “The Beast.” By the end of WWII, guided bombs and rockets eliminated the need to point the entire airframe at the target in order to insure a successful bomb…

Women asked for uniform input in online survey

By Jacqueline Klimas on May 21, 2013 Navy, Uniforms, Women in the Navy

The Navy’s seeking input on its uniforms from female sailors. About 16,000 of them. Those women were randomly selected to take part in an online survey, which went live May 15 and will last 90 days. It’s designed to provide a broader analysis of “female sailor uniform preferences and concerns,” according to the fleetwide message, NAVADMIN 127/13, that announced its launch. Such a sweeping survey was deemed necessary by Navy officials after small focus groups and interviews involving female sailors’ uniform concerns. The survey will focus on the female sailors’ level of satisfaction with the current uniforms’ “form, fit and…

Mid named a 'top 10 college woman'

By Jacqueline Klimas on April 4, 2013 leadership, Naval Academy, Navy, Women in the Navy

The Naval Academy is often recognized for its stellar athletics and academics, but this time the academy is in the news because of one female mid. Midshipman 2nd Class Margaret Gilroy was named one of the top 10 college women across the country by Glamour magazine. She is the only woman in the top 10 from a service academy. The 21-year-old serves as the brigade training sergeant and oversees the professional knowledge program, an entry-level training program for freshman to teach them about Navy concepts they’ll use at the academy and in the fleet, a spokeswoman from the academy said.…

First all-female sub faux pas

By Jacqueline Klimas on May 29, 2012 Navy, Submarines, Women in the Navy

It sounds too far-fetched to be true, and it is. Despite rumors reported by My Fox DC and The Hill on Monday, the Navy is not staffing Virginia-class submarine Illinois with the first-ever all female submarine crew. This rumor is impossible, since the Navy is just now beginning to place woman on ballistic and guided missile submarines. There are no current plans for enlisted women to serve on subs or for women to serve on Virginia class subs. Cmdr. Monica Rousselow, a public affairs officer for submarine forces Atlantic, posted a comment on The Hill’s article, correcting the error. “Hello,…

The sub force's first female trailblazers

By Sam Fellman on November 22, 2011 Historical, Submarines, Women in the Navy

With female officers reporting for duty this month to the submarine force, news stories have hailed these trailblazers as the first female submariners. While that may be true, they’re not without forebears, one reader told Navy Times. In the early 1980s, roughly 120 women were recruited into the nuclear Navy to join the submarine force, according to Jane Reoch, a former machinist’s mate first class who joined the Navy in 1979 as part of this effort. “Our mission was to get qualified so that we could stand engineering watches at the various ports where submarines were stationed,” Reoch said, adding…

Navy women meet in Norfolk

By Bill McMichael on October 18, 2011 Navy, Norfolk Naval Station, Photos, SURFLANT, Women in the Navy

SURFLANT hosted an all-day symposium for Navy women today in Norfolk, an event “designed to provide an interactive forum addressing the challenges that affect women in the surface force.” The idea was to provide a forum for women in the surface force and other communities along with discussion opportunities and interaction with successful surface force role models, and simply to network. Breakout sessions were held on topics ranging from child care, women’s policy and mentorship, as well as with officer and enlisted detailers.

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