The U.S. Navy base in Connecticut is welcoming the first class of female officers selected for assignment to submarines, The Associated Press reports.
Eight women were reporting Monday for an initial training course at Naval Submarine Base New London. The graduates will be the first women to serve on submarines since the Navy repealed a ban.
The Navy announced last year that it was lifting the ban. Women had been barred on the theory that the close quarters and long deployments were unsuitable for a coed crew.
The women arriving in Groton are among 18 selected for training and assignment to crews of guided-missile and ballistic-missile submarines. The class also will include 74 men.
Naval Submarine School spokesman William Kenny says no changes have been required in terms of lodging or classrooms.
