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Making History on History: USS Constitution Gets Its 1st Female Commander

Back in 1998, high schooler Billie Farrell posed for a photo beside USS Constitution, the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat, while visiting Boston from her hometown of Paducah, Kentucky. She had no idea that one day she would become the first woman to command it.

A teenager stands by a fence at a dock in front of a ship from the late 1700s.
Farrell Pose
Navy Cmdr. Billie Farrell, the USS Constitution’s first female commanding officer, poses in front of the ship during a visit in 1998 during her sophomore year of high school. Farrell is the first female commanding officer of the USS Constitution, having taken command of Old Ironsides on Jan. 21, 2022. As the 77th commanding officer of the USS Constitution, Farrell became the first woman to serve as captain in the ship’s 224-year history, dating back to 1797.
Photo By: Navy
VIRIN: 220105-N-OM854-0001C

Farrell, now a Navy commander, took over the reins of the Constitution on Jan. 21. When the 2004 Naval Academy graduate was selected to command the historic ship, she found that old photo to be quite ironic.  

"[The photo was taken] the year that a woman first assumed command of a combatant ship in the Navy," Farrell said, referring to Cmdr. Maureen A. Farren. "Women have been commanding ships for a long time now. I'm just fortunate enough that I'm the person that gets to be the first woman here to command this ship." 

As a surface warfare officer, Farrell has done tours of duty on the guided-missile cruisers USS Vella Gulf, USS San Jacinto and USS Vicksburg; she served as the executive officer on the latter. While the technological differences between those ships and Constitution are quite large, she said she believes the foundations are still the same.  

"Part of the reason Constitution was so successful [was because] her captains ran gun drills that made her very efficient, and she was able to get rounds out of the barrel faster than a lot of our adversaries at the time," Farrell said. "Because of that, she was able to win. A lot of what we do in the Navy today with drilling and making sure we're proficient — it all started on the decks of Constitution." 

A sailor in dress-white uniform stands in a dry dock in front of a large ship’s propellers.
Navy Cmdr. Billie Farrell
Navy Cmdr. Billie Farrell, former executive officer aboard the USS Vicksburg, poses in front of the ship’s propellers while in dry dock. Farrell is now the first female commanding officer of the USS Constitution, having taken command of Old Ironsides on Jan. 21, 2022. As the 77th commanding officer of the USS Constitution, Farrell became the first woman to serve as captain in the ship’s 224-year history, dating back to 1797.
Photo By: Navy
VIRIN: 220105-N-OM854-0000C

Constitution has been operating since 1797 and earned the nickname "Old Ironsides" during the War of 1812 when British cannonballs were seen bouncing off the ship's wooden hull. While the ship is no longer used for battle, its active-duty sailors give free tours to the public to promote the Navy's history and maritime heritage and to highlight the need for a sustained naval presence. 

Spotlighting Female Leadership 

Farrell commands a crew of about 80 sailors. Half of them are on their first assignment out of boot camp, and more than a third of them are women.  

While Farrell thinks it's not unusual to see female commanders these days – there are currently about 70,000 active-duty women serving in the Navy, 26 of whom are ship commanders — she said the visibility of her new role can help further put the spotlight on the normalcy of it. 

A woman in 1812-era Navy garb and cap waves while walking past a crowd.
Commander's Greeting
Navy Cmdr. B.J. Farrell, commanding officer of USS Constitution, waves to the crowd during the Cape Cod, Mass., St. Patrick's Day Parade, March 5, 2022. USS Constitution is the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat. It played a crucial role in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, actively defending sea lanes from 1797 to 1855. During normal operations, the active-duty sailors stationed aboard the Constitution provide free tours and offer public visitation to more than 600,000 people a year. Those efforts support the ship’s mission of promoting the Navy’s history and maritime heritage and raising awareness of the importance of a sustained naval presence.
Photo By: Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Grant G. Grady
VIRIN: 220305-N-OM854-0056C

"I was always the senior at my commands. I never worked for a woman captain ... but just because I didn't see it, I knew you could do it," she said. "I think the nice piece here … is it makes everybody look a little bit wider and say that women are in command of ships and can do this."  

Considering March is Women's History Month, Farrell's history-making role has brought her a lot of media attention. She was recently on “Good Morning America” and “The Today Show,” and her career was covered by Time Magazine.  

"It's definitely been a whirlwind, but it's been such a positive outpouring of support from across the country," she said.

Constitution shuttered its planks to visitors twice during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it's been back open for tours since spring of 2021. It began offering virtual tours, too. 

"The nice thing with all the media attention is it's reminded people that the ship is here and open," Farrell said. "We're doing the tours and highlighting those active-duty sailors serving onboard." 

Preserving the Past, Preparing for the Future 

So, what's a typical tour of duty like for a Constitution sailor? Sometimes it's a throwback to the olden days, like when they do sail training -- climbing the ship's masts and rigs and unfurling the sails so they can cruise into Boston Harbor. But they continue their training for modern-day Navy needs, too.   

"I ask my sailors to be an 1812 sailor some days, but I also have to make sure they're a 2022 sailor and ready to go do the mission the Navy asked of them," Farrell said.  

A man climbs the rigging of a large ship’s mast.
Rigging Climb
The USS Constitution is tugged out to Fort Independence on Castle Island, Mass., during Chief Petty Officer Heritage Week, Aug. 30, 2019. During the week, sailors selected for the paygrade of E-7 spend it aboard the Constitution, and other sailors teach them a variety of time-honored maritime evolutions while living and working aboard the ship.
Photo By: Navy Seaman Apprentice Alec Kramer
VIRIN: 190830-N-CI012-0082
Four men hang onto the top of a large ship’s mast.
Hanging On
Navy chief petty officer selects -- sailors selected for the paygrade of E-7 -- come together for Chief Petty Officer Heritage Week 2019 aboard the oldest commissioned warship afloat. During this week aboard the Constitution, the selects learn a variety of time-honored maritime evolutions while living and working aboard the ship.
Photo By: Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Casey Scoular
VIRIN: 190829-N-SM577-0401A

Constitution sailors work closely with the USS Constitution Museum and the Naval History and Heritage Command on training materials that prepare its sailors to pass the ship's history on to the public.  

"They actually have to pass the board through the different ranks here, but we don't dictate how they give their tours," Farrell said. "Whatever piece of Constitution history they find interesting, we let them take that and run with … the story that they feel passionate about."  

She said because of that, it's likely that visitors who come more than once won't get the same tour twice.  

"The fun part of the job is going to talk to people," Farrell said, "and my sailors do a phenomenal job at giving the tours."  

A sailor presents an 1812-era sword to a classroom of schoolchildren while another sailor stands by beside her.
Class Presentation
Navy sailors assigned to the USS Constitution present historic memorabilia to schoolchildren during Tampa Bay’s Navy Week, March 21, 2022. The USS Constitution is the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat. Its active-duty sailors usually provide free tours and offer public visitation to more than 600,000 people a year. Those efforts support the ship’s mission of promoting the Navy’s history and maritime heritage and raising awareness of the importance of a sustained naval presence.
Photo By: Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Samoluk
VIRIN: 220322-N-YT019-0128C

Celebrating 225 Years 

This year, the crew plans to celebrate the ship, which will turn 225 in October, with several events that highlight Constitution's history and accomplishments. There are seven public cruises set for this summer, including one on July 4th and one specifically for Vietnam veterans. 

"We go about six miles in Boston Harbor. There's a fort there. We exchange a 21-gun salute. Sometimes we get a flyover if we're fortunate enough," Farrell said. "The sailors climb and talk to guests and just enjoy being underway on the ship." 

A three-mast wooden ship sails in a harbor.
USS Constitution
The USS Constitution is tugged out to Fort Independence on Castle Island, Mass., during Chief Petty Officer Heritage Week, Aug. 30, 2019. During the week, sailors teach the chief petty officer selects a variety of time-honored maritime evolutions while living and working aboard the ship.
Photo By: Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Joshua Samoluk
VIRIN: 190830-N-YT019-0010

Farrell's time at the helm of the Constitution is just beginning, and she said she couldn't have gotten there without help. 

"I was blessed with great mentors. Having positive people that want you to do well and push you and help you find opportunities is extra important," she said, offering advice to others coming up in the service: "Look for those people and surround yourself with those people." 

The Constitution is maintained by its crew, as well as members of the Naval History and Heritage Command. Naval Support Activity Crane near Bloomington, Indiana, has a grove of white oak trees that it preserves to use for repairs that might be necessary for the ship. 

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