USS Acadia's Mixed Crew Deployment

The first wartime deployment of a mixed-gender crew aboard a U.S. Navy vessel occurred when the USS Acadia sailed for the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990. Women made up slightly more than one-third of its crew, and the ship was unofficially nicknamed "The Love Boat" after 36 women, about 10 percent of its female sailors, were found to be pregnant. However, only 22 became pregnant during the deployment; 9 were already pregnant when the ship departed, while 5 others joined it without knowing they were pregnant. Navy rules required them to be transferred ashore and stationed within six hours of an obstetrician.

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