For The First Time In History, A Filipino Became Commander Of US Navy’s Largest Aircraft

For the first time in the history of the United States Navy, a Filipino-American service member is in command at the helm of a carrier.

Captain Ronald Ravelo, a son of a retired US Navy Chief from the Philippines became the commander of the USS Abraham Lincoln a United States Navy’s largest aircraft carrier is now doing a major systems overhaul under the watchful eye of a history-making Filipino-American captain.

It has been a year since US Navy Captain Ronald Ravelo relieved his brother-in-law, Capt. Karl Thomas, as commander of the USS Abraham Lincoln – a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier named after the former US President.

The wife of Capt. Karl Thomas, Jennifer, is the sister of Ravelo.

Ravelo also became the first Filipino-American to take command of a carrier.

Thomas, the outgoing commander of the Lincoln, will lead the USS Carl Vinson.

Commissioned in 1989, USS Lincoln will be remembered for its role in the largest peacetime evacuation in history.



When Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, Lincoln carried 45,000 active military personnel and their families from Zambales to Cebu.

This massive undertaking is all under Ravelo’s command.

Last March, on the second anniversary of its overhaul process, Ravelo addressed more than 2,500 members/crews.

“It’s pretty daunting, the amount of work that goes into re-outfitting an aircraft carrier after 25 years of service. As you can imagine, it’s quite challenging,” Ravelo said.

“We only got 10 of these capital ships in the United States Navy so I think just to be honored and had been selected to command it, that in itself is a point of pride,” he added.

A son of a retired US Navy Officer Ben Ravelo, Ben was with the Philippine Navy, left the Philippines to serve in a country whose language he did not even know.

Ronald was born in Okinawa, Japan, and raised in San Diego, California.

He lived with his grandmother in Makati, Philippines, while his father Ben was stationed in Saigon.

“Family is very important, a critical part of the Filipino culture and that was probably the one thing that I remembered most dearly about that time in the Philippines,” he said.

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In 2006, Ravelo was selected to the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program and completed his tour as Executive Officer of USS Ronald Reagan.

In 2013, he commanded USS Comstock before he got promoted to Commanding Officer of USS Lincoln in 2014.

“The Navy is probably one of those few organizations where any sailors, we all come in with the understanding that with a lot of hard work, the dedication you can get as far as the sky is the limit,” he said.

Capt. Ravelo is a recipient of several awards including the 2007 Commander, Naval Air Forces Navy, and Marine Association Outstanding Leadership Award.

“Just remaining hungry, remain dedicated and working really hard that’s really what it takes to get to my level and any level,” he said.

Under Ravelo’s command, the USS Abraham Lincoln is expected to be operationally and combat-ready this 2017.

Source: Manila Livewire