Navy picks second group of enlisted women to serve on submarines
The Navy has announced it has chosen the second group of enlisted women to serve on submarines.
The 38 selectees will be the next enlisted women to train for submarine duty. They've been selected to serve on the USS Florida, a ballistic missile submarine based in Kings Bay, Ga.
Thirty-six women were selected as alternates, who could be contacted if any of the original 38 don't pass their submarine physical or are otherwise deemed ineligible to serve.
The Navy said there was "strong" interest among enlisted women in serving on a submarine and that the selection process was "highly competitive."
"Consistent superior performance, operational experience, and strong command endorsements were critical in breaking out these high performing sailors from their peers," a Navy memo said.
The number of women who applied for the second round was not immediately available.
The female sailors will leave their current assignments as early as this fall and as late as spring 2017, depending on the position for which they were selected.
The announcement comes as some of the first women to be selected have begun to report to the USS Michigan, an Ohio-class guided missile submarine based in Bangor, Wash.
The Navy also selected 38 women in its first call for applicants. Those names were announced in June 2015.
The women will fill four chief petty officer positions and 34 positions from petty officer first class and below, across the blue and gold crews of the Michigan.
Of the 113 who women applied for the first round, 108 were determined to be qualified. Seventy women were selected as alternates. They were automatically included in the pool for the second round, unless they chose otherwise.
The first women to go through Basic Enlisted Submarine School started last August. At least six integrated classes have gone through sub school since then, according to spokesman Bill Kenny.
By 2020, women are expected to make up 20 percent of the crews of seven Ohio-class submarines, of which there are currently 18.
Females are expected to arrive aboard Virginia-class attack submarines that same year. Electric Boat has been working with the Navy on design modifications for mixed-gender crews on Virginia-class submarines. EB spokesman Tim Bouly has said "the goal is to maximize flexibility while maintaining a high level of privacy in living areas."
Women officers began reporting to submarines in late 2011.
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