BREMERTON, Wash. — The first enlisted women to ever serve on board a Navy sub are set to sail on the USS Michigan in Bremerton.
This will be largest group of women -- 38 enlisted sailors -- to report for duty aboard a submarine.
According to the Kitsap Sun, the USS Michigan was completely converted to be the first sub to carry enlisted women.
Three female officers per crew have served aboard some Ohio-class subs, including the Michigan, since 2011, but no structural changes were needed for the small number.
To accommodate the large group of enlisted women, they added living quarters and made some renovations on the Ohio-class sub.
According to the Kitsap Sun, the ship's crew enlarged the forward washroom, added four showers and created a new bunkroom from the old crew's study.
The bulk of the female sailors will stay in nine-person bunkrooms and share a bathroom.
Creating a female living area was only a fraction of the work performed on the Michigan.
Crews also repaired the sub's sail, superstructure, engineering spaces and missile compartments.
Overnight, we found photos of some of the women who will make history.
There are four chief petty officers and 34 lower-ranked sailors. They were chosen from 113 applicants.
The USS Michigan has been in port since last August, and the enlisted women have been training for nearly a year to join the Michigan crew.
According to the Navy, 550 enlisted women will be added to the other Ohio-class subs in the fleet by 2020, meaning 20 percent of the crew would be women.
Cox Media Group
