Celebrity Cruises is celebrating the appointment of Kate McCue – the first female captain to born and raised in the United States.
Captain McCue joins a small but growing lineup of female captains worldwide, including Captain Sarah Breton who joined P&O Cruises back in 2010.
At 37 years of age, San Francisco native Kate McCue will command Celebrity Summit– a 91,000-ton, 294 metre ship in the Celebrity Cruises fleet, sailing between the eastern United States and Bermuda.
Commencing in her new role from August this year, she will be responsible for the safe navigation of the ship and the onboard experience of its 2,158 guests and 952 crew members.
A graduate of California State University’s California Maritime Academy, Captain McCue has held a variety of roles in the maritime industry over 15 years.
She began working as a cadet and deck officer, then worked through a series of successively more responsible positions to her most recent role as Master Mariner with Royal Caribbean International.
McCue has earned numerous certifications in a variety of areas pertaining to leadership navigation, ship management and security.
Captain Kate McCue of Celebrity Summit answers more of your questions. Including: “Who are the better drivers, men or women?”
Posted by Celebrity Summit on Friday, July 17, 2015
She has sailed all around the world on itineraries in Europe, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, and along the Panama Canal.
“Becoming the first female American captain of a cruise ship has been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember.”
Captain Kate McCue
“The honour is amplified by being the first at a company like Celebrity Cruises.”