Woman in US Navy Submarines!

Lt. Cmdr. Maura Thompson, SSBN supply officer. 
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West Virginia's Exponent Telegram, July 26, 2015 reports http://www.theet.com/news/local/salem-native-keeping-u-s-safe-aboard-ballistic-missile-submarine/article_1a242ade-2fad-5d27-ac43-888b844226e8.html:

SILVERDALE, [Washington State] — A 2000 Liberty High School graduate and Salem, West Virginia, native is serving aboard one of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, living and working at [the Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Washington State]..

Lt. Cmdr. Maura Thompson is the supply officer on USS Louisiana (SSBN 743), which is based [at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor] about 15 miles west of Seattle across Puget Sound. She is responsible for managing the food service and the logistical warehouse on board the ship.

“What I enjoy most is the sailors,” Thompson said. “On our submarine, we have only a little more than 150 total people, so I can get personally involved...".

USS Louisiana (SSBN 743) is one of the Navy’s 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, also referred to as “boomers,” which patrol the world’s oceans for months at a time, serving as undetectable launch platforms for submarine-launched ballistic missiles..."

Ship missile systems operator Petty Officer (2nd class) Lisa Reaux aims to join SSGN crew. 

Herald-Mail Media, July 31, 2015 reports http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/local/boonsboro-grad-has-chance-to-make-navy-submarine-history/article_fff90e04-37d0-11e5-95dd-03751d2681ea.html :

"[Lisa Reaux] The 26-year-old petty officer second class recently was chosen as one of the first female enlisted sailors to undergo training to serve on a submarine. If she successfully completes the year long preparation, Reaux will be assigned to the USS Michigan, an Ohio-class guided-missile submarine based in Bangor, Wash...There are currently 39 nuclear-trained female officers and 16 female supply officers serving on 16 crews aboard nine submarines, ..."

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An Ohio class SSBN. Click image to expand or access very large image here. (Cutaway diagram courtesy American History). Each Ohio SSBN (16,764 tonnes surfaced) can fire 24 Trident II/Trident D5 missiles. Each missile can carry up to 12  MIRVed W88 (475 kt) warheads or 12 W76 (100 kt) warheads. The US Navy's 4 SSGNs are modified Ohio subs.

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Just a small part of Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Washington State, USA. Is the large building in the foreground the Base Exchange shopping center (?) (Photo courtesy Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula Council of the U.S. Navy League)

COMMENT

Having a Lt. Cmdr just to run the supply section of a submarine shows how big the submarine is (with 2 x 155 person Gold/Blue crews per SSBN).

There have been major misgivings from many in the US Navy (and ex US Navy) about having women in US submarines. 

Vigilis, who writes at Molten Eagle, has indicated in Comments :

"The Obama administration has callously placed women on U.S. nuclear subs, which unlike most non-nuclear subs, are typically deployed for at least six months at a time on missions of stealth. This decision was made for purely political purposes under the false ruse of a "shortage of male submariners." However, the announced shortage of sub volunteers (27 OCT 2009) was soon betrayed by [Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate Programs] NUPOC's 17 May 2010 announcement asking for sub nucs to switch to [Surface Warfare Officer] SWO (surface ship status). The Naval Academy provided 119 submarine ensigns in its 2009 graduating class, 2 more than in 2008's, and 31 more than 2006's.

There are three excellent, factual reasons women should have continued to be excluded from nuclear sub duty, and I can assure you that none of the real reasons has anything to do with "feelings [that] are a disgrace to peoplehood."

1. Women have been assigned as "supernumerary" and/or redundant duties (non-critical jobs in case of pregnancies). In other words, not mission-critical jobs.

2. The rate of women sailors missing movement on U.S. surface ships has been alarming for the world's premiere navy, and human nature applies to subs as well... There were 778 pregnancies among 6,166 women crew members aboard 53 surface ships ... The highest pregnancy rate was aboard submarine tenders (27 per 100 woman-years), and the lowest rate was aboard amphibious assault ships (0 per 100 woman-years). ... reported outcomes included normal pregnancies, elective abortions, ectopic pregnancies, spontaneous abortions, and stillbirths, regardless of whether they resulted in hospitalization. The female requirement for medical care is much higher than for men (who have historically had all four 4th molars removed prior to submarine duty (Cold War) as a precaution to avoid mission interference.

3. The combination of 1 and 2 will lead to deterioration of male morale, reccruiting and retention as the once elite submarine service gradually becomes a British-type service of grievous errors, poor crew selection, poorer maintenance, and second rate mission completion. We do not need a weaker submarine force.

One need not take an ex-submariners opinion alone, however. Here is a recent quote from an active-duty admiral who is obviously concerned:

“The loss of even one member of a crew can have a significant ripple effect on a submarine, especially when it’s someone who holds unique qualifications. In many cases, that means we either pull someone from another crew or we end up with a deficit in skills. Neither of those stopgap solutions is ideal.” - Rear Adm. DaveKriete, commander, Submarine Group Nine, Bangor Leaders Seek To DecreaseUnplanned Personnel Losses, July 1, 2015.

More at http://aquilinefocus.blogspot.com/2015/07/submarine-quote-of-month-july-2015.html"

Pete