Puget Sound Naval Shipyard welcomes first female commander in its history

SEATTLE -- The first woman to lead the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility began her tenure Wednesday after a change of command ceremony.

Capt. Dianna Wolfson was named the new commander of the shipyard and its 15,000 sailors and employees. She succeeds Capt. Howard Markle who had been in charge since 2015.

“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.”

Wolfson was commissioned in 1996 and has a long list of accolades to her name. During her career, she served aboard USS George Washington and USS Carl Vinson.

Her shore assignments include commanding Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Naval Forces Atlantic; Norfolk Naval Shipyard; and the Navy’s Supervisor of Shipbuilding office in Newport News, Virginia.

She last served as the operations officer of Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

During the ceremony, it was announced that the shipyard received the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Navy’s third highest unit award.