VCNO Tours Old Ironsides

Howard, the first female four-star admiral in U.S. Navy history and the first African-American woman to attain a four-star rank in the history of the Department of Defense, stopped by Constitution following a previous speaking engagement in Boston to experience the history of the 216-year-old warship first hand.

During her address to Constitution’s crew, Howard spoke of her experiences spanning her groundbreaking 32 years of naval service and shared some of her aspirations for her tenure as the Navy’s 38th VCNO, including raising recruitment and retention numbers for female Sailors while more fully integrating them throughout the fleet, and increasing awareness of emerging technologies and growing cyber security threats to the U.S. and Navy personnel.

Howard also discussed the important role Constitution played in establishing the U.S. Navy as a global power and the responsibilities her crew has to carry on the legacy of Old Ironsides today. She expressed her gratitude toward all the Sailors who have served aboard the historic frigate and spoke of the profound effect Constitution has had on so many of her visitors.

After her address to the crew, Howard proceeded to answer several questions from Sailors concerning topics that were on their minds.

USS Constitution, the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat, actively defended sea lanes against global threats from 1797 to 1855. Now a featured destination on Boston’s Freedom Trail, Constitution and her crew of U.S. Navy Sailors offer community outreach and education about the ship’s history and the importance of naval seapower to more than 500,000 visitors each year.

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Press Release, October 03, 2014; Image: US Navy