Holly Ann Graf is an officer (Officer (armed forces)) of the United States Navy, holding the rank of Captain (Captain (United States)). Until January 2010 she was commanding officer of the Ticonderoga-class (Ticonderoga class cruiser) guided missile (Missile guidance) cruiser USS Cowpens (USS Cowpens (CG-63)), a major vessel of the fleet. She was the first woman to command a cruiser in the history of the Navy. Earlier, she had been the first woman to command a destroyer when she served as skipper of the USS Winston Churchill (USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81)). She holds the Bronze Star (Bronze Star Medal), among others, and received significant media coverage even before being relieved of command of her ship in controversial circumstances.