In 1996, Petty Officer Margaret Cooper became the first woman Underwater Construction Team Seabee. At the time, there were only two underwater-construction battalions in the Navy, with just 66 enlisted personnel in each of them. She graduated with honors from the Navy’s dive school. Her desire to join the service started at 16, when she joined the Army Reserves. Her love of building and the ocean drew her to the Navy and become a Seabee.

Last Updated: 30 March 2023