US aircraft carrier sets sail for first time under female captain's orders
The USS Abraham Lincoln became the first US Navy aircraft carrier to deploy under the command of a woman, Colonel Amy Bauernschmidt.
The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier left San Diego on January 3, beginning its mission under the command of Captain Amy Bauernschmidt. The warship will be part of Carrier Strike Group 3, escorted by a Ticonderoga-class cruiser and four Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
 |
| Captain Bauernschmidt speaks before going to sea on a mission on January 3. Photo: US Navy. |
Bauernschmidt, 51, is the first female aircraft carrier captain in US Navy history, having previously commanded the USS San Diego. She served as deputy commander of the USS Abraham Lincoln, becoming the first woman to hold that role in the US, before being appointed captain in August 2021.
Colonel Bauernschmidt is a veteran naval helicopter pilot with over 3,000 flight hours, having commanded Helicopter Attack Squadron 70 in the air wing of the aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush on combat missions in the Middle East.
The USS Abraham Lincoln's deployment also marked the first combat deployment of a squadron of F-35C stealth fighters in the US Marine Corps. The Pentagon had previously only deployed a squadron of F-35Cs in the Navy on the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier.
USS Abraham Lincoln is the fifth Nimitz-class supercarrier of the United States, commissioned in 1989. The ship is 333m long, 76m wide, capable of carrying up to 90 planes and helicopters, equipped with two nuclear reactors allowing it to move at a speed of more than 56 km/h.
 |
| USS Abraham Lincoln leaves San Diego Harbor on January 3. Photo: US Navy. |
Accompanying the USS Abraham Lincoln on this voyage is Carrier Air Wing 9. The unit is equipped with dozens of aircraft of various types, nearly half of which are F/A-18E/F Super Hornet multi-role fighters. F/A-18 squadrons are often tasked with long-range strikes, patrols, and airspace control in all US Navy operations.
Carrier Air Wing 9 also possesses EA-18G Growler electronic attack fighters, specialized in jamming, suppressing and attacking enemy air defense systems. Meanwhile, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early warning aircraft act as the eyes and ears of the entire carrier strike group, with the task of detecting, transmitting target parameters and coordinating the Air Wing's air operations.
