When the USS Abraham Lincoln pulled out of port in San Diego on Monday morning, the scheduled routine deployment was also historic. On board was the Marine Corps’ first F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter squadron, and at the helm, the first female commander of a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt, a Naval pilot, took command of the Lincoln in August. Before assuming command of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, Bauernschmidt served as its executive officer. She also has more than 3,000 flight hours in naval aircraft.
