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NEWS | March 1, 2023

Women's History Month: Since the first woman was hired at Navy Yard Puget Sound, women have proudly helped to shape the U.S. Navy's story

By Adrienne Burns, PSNS & IMF Public Affairs

Since the very first day of its existence, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility has had women prominently featured in its history. When Lt. Ambrose B. Wycoff assumed command of the 145 acres that made up Puget Sound Naval Station on Sept. 16, 1891, it was his daughter, Selah, who "ran the Stars and Stripes up to the top of a tall tree, which had been denuded of its branches," he wrote.

Nearly 132 years later, the women of PSNS & IMF have continued to make their mark in positions at every level of the command and during prominent moments in its history. From the mere six women employed at "the Yard" in 1914 as seamstresses and clerks, to Capt. Dianna Wolfson, the first woman to command PSNS & IMF from 2018-2020, there isn't a chapter of the shipyard's history that hasn't been made better by the thousands of women who have shared their expertise, effort and time making the shipyard what it is today.

When World War I prompted the Navy to open enlistment to women, 11,000 women, affectionately known as “Yeomanettes,” joined the service. Dozens of women were sent to Bremerton during the war, and many more wives and daughters took working roles in the shipyard as men of enlistment age were called into service. Yeomanettes and Red Cross nurses were also responsible for the health and welfare of the nearly 3,000 Navy Yard personnel who required care during the 1918 influenza epidemic.

In “Nipsic to Nimitz: A Centennial History of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard,” a black and white photo of the women who worked as rivet passers and rivet catchers during WWI was said to foreshadow the wartime work of women that would be made most famous by “Rosie the Riveter” in World War II. Esther Bielmeier would come to be the most famous of the PSNS & IMF's WWI rivet passers—our own version of Rosie—when a statue depicting her work as a rivet passer was erected in PSNS Memorial Plaza, just outside Bremerton Gate, in 2009.

In every wartime effort since WWI, and all the years in between, women have earned their way into nearly every role at PSNS & IMF. And while women are excelling everywhere in roles ranging from Apprentice Program students to department heads, there are still unique challenges faced by women across the command. Supporting women’s career opportunities, well-being and happiness here at PSNS & IMF is crucial to the success of our entire team and our mission.

Decade after decade, women have answered the call to support the Fleet. This command is dedicated to the work we still have to do to match that effort. It is a continual effort that requires our constant attention. Our command has supported the launch of Employee Resource Groups like the Puget Women’s Employee Networking Group and support groups like Women in Trades and Family Matters, which are continually advocating and serving the women of our command.

Today, the number of women who are making notable achievements and history at this command is too long to list, which is something we should all take pride in. This month—and every month—we celebrate the women in our workforce who are carrying on a proud legacy of service to our Navy and our nation.