Kathleen McGrath

After two centuries of men running naval combat, Kathleen McGrath broke through the traditional gender barriers in the U.S. Navy to become the first woman to command a warship.

By 2000, McGrath was leading the frigate USS Jarrett and its 262-person crew from San Diego to the Persian Gulf to intercept oil smugglers.

McGrath’s command of the Jarrett came several years after Congress relaxed rules that prevented women from leading combat ships, a move that followed the U.S. Air Force decision to allow women to fly combat jets.

In 1998, five women including McGrath were given command of combat ships. Four of them were given lightly armed transport vessels to command, but McGrath was put in charge of a warship with massive firepower capabilities.

Under her leadership as captain, she has received praise for chipping away at the traditional barriers in the Navy between enlisted men and officers.

In a 2000 interview with Time magazine, McGrath said she did not attempt to imitate a tough male commander as captain.

“I have to be myself,” said McGrath. “I don’t try to emulate a man, nor do I try to do what a guy would do.”

McGrath, a mother of two who died of lung cancer in 2002 at the age of 50, received many medals for her service, including the Legion of Merit as well as multiple Meritorious Service and Navy Commendation medals.

— Olivia Beavers