“I am honored to have the privilege to soon command this iconic warship that dates back to the roots of both our nation and our Navy and to have been afforded the amazing opportunity to serve as U.S.S. Constitution’s first female commanding officer in her 224 years,” Farrell said in a statement Tuesday. “I hope to strengthen the legacy of U.S.S. Constitution through preservation, promotion, and protection by telling her story and connecting it to the rich heritage of the United States Navy and the warships serving in the fleet today.”

The U.S.S. Constitution, nicknamed “Old Ironsides” for its reputation of cannonballs bouncing off its wooden hull during the War of 1812, also played an important role in the Barbary Wars and defended various stretches of ocean around the United States from 1797 to 1855.

It was undefeated in its decades participating in battles and destroyed or captured at least 33 enemy ships, and is currently stationed in Boston’s Charlestown Navy Yard.

“I know the crew is in great hands with Commander Farrell,” said the Constitution’s current commanding officer, Commander John Benda in a statement, according to CBS Boston. “This historic barrier is long overdue to be broken. I cannot think of a better candidate to serve as USS Constitution’s first female commanding officer.”

“This is an exciting time in Boston with a female mayor and a female captain for Old Ironsides. Women have been represented in Constitution’s crew since I joined the Museum staff in 1986, and the first female officer came aboard in 1996,” said Anne Grimes Rand, president and CEO of the U.S.S Constitution Museum, CBS Boston reported.

Farrell is scheduled to assume command at an onboard ceremony January 21. She will relieve Benda, who has led the ship’s crew since February 2020.

Farrell is a native of Paducah, Kentucky, a 2004 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, and most recently served as the executive officer aboard U.S.S. Vicksburg, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, according to her Navy biography.

It is crewed by active-duty sailors.

The first woman to serve on the Constitution’s crew was enlisted sailor Rosemarie Lanam in 1986. The first woman to serve as a commissioned officer on the ship was Lieutenant Commander Claire V. Bloom, who served as executive officer and led the 1997 sail, the first time Old Ironsides had sailed under her own power since 1881.

Women now make up more than one-third of the 80-person crew.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.