The US Navy commissioned its first-ever coed submarine, the Virginia-class attack submarine USS New Jersey, at a ceremony at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Middletown, NJ.
The US Navy has allowed women to serve on US Navy submarines for more than a decade. In 2010, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates lifted the ban on females serving aboard US submarines. A year later, the first female officers began reporting for duty on Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines.
What sets the USS New Jersey apart is that it is the first of its kind to be designed from the keel up with specific modifications for gender integration.
“The submarine community is a fully gender-integrated warfighting force,” said Vice Adm. Robert Gaucher, commander of Submarine Forces Atlantic.
Stars & Stripes reports that modifications include obvious ones — more doors and washrooms to create separate sleeping and bathing areas — and some that are more subtle — lowering some overhead valves and making them easier to turn and installing steps in front of the triple-high bunk beds and stacked laundry machines.
The design changes were made to accommodate the growing female force of submariners. In the past five years, the Navy has seen the number of officers and enlisted sailors in the submarine force who are women double and triple, respectively, Gaucher said.
As of August 2024, 730 women were assigned to operational submarines — serving as officers and sailors on 19 nuclear-powered, ballistic-missile and guided-missile submarines, and 19 nuclear-powered attack boats, according to Submarine Forces Atlantic. In 2021, the Navy announced a long-term plan to integrate female officers on 33 submarine crews and female enlisted sailors on 14 submarine crews by 2030.
The United States was not the first nation to allow female submariners. Indeed, the US was at least the sixth country to allow women to serve in the Silent Service. Norway was the first in 1985, followed by Denmark in 1988 and Sweden in 1989. Australia followed suit in 1999 while Germany and Canada allowed women onboard in 2001 and 2002 respectively.
The US Navy was, however, the first to permit women to serve on nuclear subs with extended deployments. The countries that allowed women to serve operated conventional submarines that have one or two-month deployments, whereas the US operates a nuclear fleet with six-month or longer deployments.
🚢⚓ USS New Jersey (SSN 796) is now commissioned and ready for service! The Navy’s latest Virginia-class submarine joins the fleet. Watch the video to learn more about the Navy’s newest sub. #USSNewJersey #USNavy #Submarine #NavalPower pic.twitter.com/PEGlDaWRMw
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) September 14, 2024