Vice Adm. Nora Tyson — the first woman to command a numbered fleet — will retire from the Navy next week in a ceremony aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.
The Navy announced Tuesday that Tyson will be relieved by Vice Adm. John D. Alexander as commander of the San Diego-based 3rd Fleet during a change of command ceremony on Sept. 15.
Under Tyson’s command, the 3rd Fleet’s role expanded in the Pacific under the “Third Fleet Forward” operational concept. Ships remained under 3rd Fleet control throughout their deployment rather than transferring operational control to the 7th Fleet once they crossed the International Date Line.
Tyson is retiring after 38 years of service during which she became the first woman to command a carrier strike group, the USS George H.W. Bush group with 13 ships, 80 combatant aircraft, and 9,000 crew. She also commanded the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan.
A native of Memphis, TN, she began her career in 1983 as a Navy aviator, flying as an A-6E Intruder bombardier/navigator.
