First woman to command USS Constitution takes over on Friday

(AP) — History is being made aboard the U.S.S. Constitution this week Cmdr. Billie J. Farrell is scheduled to become the first woman to lead the crew of the 224-year-old warship known as Old Ironsides during a change-of-command ceremony on Friday.

Farrell is a native of Paducah, Kentucky, and a 2004 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.

The Constitution is based at Boston’s Charlestown Navy Yard and is the world’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat.

Farrell will relieve Cmdr. John Benda. He has led the ship’s crew since February 2020.

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