Darlene Marie Iskra (born 1952) is a retired

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

officer. Upon assuming command of the

rescue and salvage ship Rescue and salvage ships (hull classification symbol ARS) are a type of military salvage tug. They are tasked with coming to the aid of stricken vessels. Their general mission capabilities include combat salvage, lifting, towing, retraction of grou ...

on December 27, 1990, she became the first woman to command a U.S. Navy vessel. She continued to serve on

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

as a liaison officer for the Commander Naval Forces Marianas. After being transferred back to the continental United States, she resigned from the Navy in 2000. After earning her BA at

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different ...

, she earned an MA in National Security and Strategic Studies from the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

and an MA and Ph.D. in Sociology from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

. She wrote ''Women in the United States Armed Forces: A Guide to the Issues'' (United States, ABC-CLIO, 2010.)

References

1952 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) San Francisco State University alumni Female United States Navy officers Naval War College alumni University System of Maryland alumni 21st-century American women {{US-navy-bio-stub