A U.S. Navy officer has made history by being the first woman elevated to the command of a Washington state shipyard.
Capt. Dianna Wolfson became the new commander of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility Wednesday.
Vice Adm. Thomas Moore of the Naval Sea Systems Command installed Wolfson during a ceremony attended by hundreds of military and civilian employees at the shipyard in Bremerton, Wash.
Moore says Wolfson “was chosen for the position for one reason and one reason only — she was absolutely the very person for the job.”
Wolfson was commissioned in 1996 and has served in a wide variety of ship and shore assignments. She served aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73) and USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Her shore assignments include Portsmouth Naval Shipyard; Commander, Naval Forces Atlantic; Norfolk Naval Shipyard (twice); and the Navy’s Supervisor of Shipbuilding office in Newport News, Virginia. Her last assignment was at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, where she served as the command’s operations officer.
“I look forward to bringing value and contributing to this high-performing Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility team,” said Wolfson. “I’ve had many great opportunities so far in my naval career, but the greatest opportunity of all is the one before me at this very moment…serving the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility workforce.”
Wolfson replaces Capt. Howard Markle, who has commanded the shipyard west of Seattle since 2015.
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