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13 female mids excited to be first on subs

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The 11 Naval Academy and two NROTC seniors picked to be the first women to serve aboard submarines are looking forward to life in the undersea service.

The Navy’s announcement of the selections came May 6, one week after the change was made official. But these women began getting ready when news broke last fall that a change was coming.

The 11 academy midshipmen, scheduled to graduate later this month, had already received their fleet assignments before being rerouted into the sub force. Eight were to become nuclear officers aboard aircraft carriers, one was to be a conventional surface warfare officer, one was headed to the Marine Corps and one was to be an aviator.

The selectees downplayed their roles as pioneers, but spoke excitedly when talking about the challenge and camaraderie inherent in a sub crew.

“I am really excited about the leadership opportunities and the technical side of submarine service,” said Midshipman 1st Class Marquette Ried, who had originally planned to fly helicopters. “This is the perfect opportunity. The stars aligned, and I was at the right place at the right time.”

Although Ried has never been on a submarine, she smiles wide when discussing “being part of the sub team and leading a division. Deckplate leadership is exactly what I want.”

For Midshipman 1st Class Elizabeth Hudson, breaking barriers has become a way of life. No women attended the academy when her father graduated in 1971, and no women served on subs with him. Now, Hudson is poised to to accomplish both.

“If anything, he might have envisioned [his] son was going to grow up and do this, probably not his daughter,” said Hudson, who had planned on becoming a Marine. “He is excited about it now. He was able to relive his glory days coming to reunions here; now he has another five years of that.”

A 24-hour familiarization cruise on an attack sub was what changed Midshipman 1st Class Abigail Gesecki’s mind.

“The crew had a great vibe and a closeness about them that I didn’t think I would find on a carrier with 3,000 people,” she said.

The women expressed no concern about entering a community that has been exclusive to men for 100 years. They said crews were very professional when familiarization tours were conducted for all mids between their sophomore and junior years, and expect the same over the long term. Gesecki, the academy’s indoor track captain, then offered a light-hearted perspective to acknowledge the women’s responsibility in the change.

“I think it is important for us to keep in mind that we’re going to impose a little bit of a change on the sailors now,” she said. “We have to be very conscientious of their daily routines and try to make it as smooth a transition as possible. If we’re going to be using their bathrooms … we’re going to have to be quick and expeditious and not stay in there for an hour while they’re all waiting outside.”

Midshipman 1st Class Kristin Lyles added that her fellow mids have been supportive, and sub officers at the academy have been helpful in preparing them for selection boards, nuke school and sub service.

Though 11 academy mids were selected, one will have to wait two years to join the sub fleet. Midshipman 1st Class Kayla Sax was one of 32 Americans, and the only midshipman, to receive a Gates Scholarship for Cambridge University this year. There, she will earn a master’s degree in nuclear engineering.

“By the time I get to a boat, all these other women will be qualified,” she said. “But I worked really hard to earn this scholarship, and the sub force will be there when I get back. With some shortened shore tours I’ll be able to catch up with my year group, so in the long run it works out.”

North Carolina State University seniors Megan Bittner and Karen Achtyl on Friday will graduate magna cum laude and be commissioned as ensigns, and will join the their academy counterparts for 15 months of nuke school — a six-month academic course, six months of operational curriculum and three months at the submarine officer basic course. Up to eight female supply corps officers will also join the submarine force in late 2011.

“I don’t believe the Navy could have picked two finer females to pioneer the entrance of females in the submarine community,” Lt. Col. Timothy Nichols, executive officer of the North Carolina Piedmont Region NROTC consortium, said in a press release.

The female officers will be assigned to one of eight blue and gold crews aboard ballistic- and guided-missile submarines. The assignments involve two submarines on the East Coast and two on the West Coast. The larger Ohio-class subs were selected because the introduction of co-ed crews will not require extensive modifications, as would be required on the smaller attack subs.

First to go

The 13 women chosen to join the sub force include 11 Naval Academy midshipmen:

• Tabitha Gant, Bowie, Md.

• Abigail Gesecki, Luzerne, Colo.

• Elizabeth Hudson, Plymouth, Mass.

• Peggy LeGrand, Amarillo, Texas

• Rachel Lessard, Newburyport, Mass.

• Kristin Lyles, Fairfax Station, Va.

• Laura Martindale, Roselle, Ill.

• Marquette Ried, Fort Collins, Colo.

• Kayla Sax, Richland, Wash.

• Misty Webster, Wesley Chapel, Fla.

• Jessica Wilcox, Honesdale, Pa.

Two NROTC midshipmen at North Carolina State University also have been picked:

• Megan Bittner, Chesapeake, Va.

• Karen Achtyl, Rochester, N.Y.

Related reading

• First class of women accepted into sub training

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