Lt. Charlene Suneson was the first woman line officer to be ordered to shipboard duty in 1961. Suneson reported for duty aboard the P-2 transport ship USS General W. A. Mann (AP 112) and was assigned to assist the transportation officer. Her duties were restricted to those of a seagoing purser, handling financial accounts and various documents relating to the ship. Her final duty station in New York led to Suneson’s affiliation with the New York chapter of the women’s rights group National Organization for Women (NOW). She received a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Southern California with a certificate in gender studies. She remained heavily active with NOW throughout her life, and is now an independent sociologist and activist for women’s rights (2022).

Last Updated: 29 March 2023